Demons in our Midst
by KentouKurige
Summary: There are demons among us, predators in our midst. I know you don’t believe me. No one ever does. But I’m not crazy, far from it. They’re real. They’re out there, and they’re getting stronger. I’m not insane. God help me, I wish I were…INCOMPLETE
1. Prologue Fallen Holy Ground

**Demons in Our Midst**  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing! I do love it to the point of obsession, and wish I did own it. . . oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for playing with the characters! Anyway, this fic is the only thing I own, plus a couple of original characters, the plot, and my computer!  
  
Shouri: Yay! The first ficcy that's just my Uma-chan and me!  
  
Shouri glomps onto the girl who is in the writing room with her, sitting at the crescent-shaped desk and working on a computer that was nowhere in evidence the last time Shouri used the room, with her chibi friend Iwa. The girl, presumably Uma-chan, is about 5' 7" and has a gentle, good-natured look to her that makes her slightly resemble Shouri, despite the many physical differences. Her bangs fluff over her forehead, and some longer strands frame the sides of her face with thin, wild curls. The rest of her golden brown mane is held in a slightly fuzzy braid that reaches all the way down past her butt. She smiles down at Shouri, her blue-gray eyes sparkling. Shouri giggles and smoothes the wrinkles she made in Uma-chan's horse T-shirt. The white horse on the front vaguely resembles a realistic version of Shouri in animal mode, and stands out noticeably against the black background.  
  
Uma-chan: I'm glad you don't mind helping me out. . . this one is gonna be the longest fic I've ever written!  
  
Shouri looks slightly less enthusiastic, but then again, chibis don't generally like sitting still too long. . .  
  
Shouri: So, what are we doing?  
  
Uma-chan: An Alternate Universe for Gundam Wing!  
  
Shouri: Yay! I like the Gundam people! Did you hear what Wufei and Iwa did to the cantina?!  
  
Uma-chan: Yea, Shouri, I heard. . . made quite the mess didn't they?  
  
Shouri giggles as Uma-chan's eyes sparkle with wicked humor. it makes people wonder what exactly 'inspired' Shouri to write that fic with Iwa. . .Uma-chan returns to typing away on the computer, and Shouri bounces up onto the couch in front of the desk to look out the window screen into the swirling streams of the Internet and the Web.  
  
Shouri: I hope you guys like this one!. . . now I just need to find a way to stay awake until it's finished. . .  
  
**Prologue: Fallen Holy Ground**  
  
The air is hazy with smoke, filled with terror-filled cries of agony and panic. One tiny figure scampers frantically through the scattered remains of the old church's pews, choking on the thick air. Wide, frightened eyes search the empty room, glittering with violet light as they reflect the fire.  
  
"Father Maxwell! Father Maxwell! Father?!" He stumbles and falls to his knees with a cry of fear, his long loose hair cascading over his shoulder, half freed from its confining braid. The cries of pain and fear suddenly rise in a cacophony of shrieks, drowning out even the roar of the fire that is swiftly consuming the building. And then there is utter silence.  
  
His eyes widen further, darting around him. A soft sibilant whisper hisses in his ear, and he whips his head around in terror. The room is graying. The smoke seems to be bleeding its color into the red of the fire and the earthy tones of the tapestries covering the walls. Everything fades into gray, he gasps for breath, quivering in shock, waiting for the death that waits when he succumbs to unconsciousness. . . but the room continues to dance before his clear eyes.  
  
A sickening smell fills the air, overriding the scent of smoke and burning flesh, cloyingly sweet like death and decay. A nonexistent wind sweeps his skin, stealing the breath from his lips. A sinister voice murmurs half- heard words in a tongue he has never heard before.  
  
In the shaded world of gray that is all he sees, there is suddenly a flicker of color, and he shivers despite the heat that bathes him. Through the hazy smoke he can see almost all the way to the front of the church, and he can see movement behind the alter.a hand appears from under a nearby pew, and his heart nearly stops as he whirls. A pained pair of eyes stares out at him from a pale white face, framed in disarrayed hair that should be honeyed brown, not silver gray.  
  
"Sister. . . Sister Helen. . . " His rough slurred whisper sounds loud in the unnatural silence, and the nun pulls frantically at his small hands, choking. His eyes widen at the dark stains that mark her skin. She coughs, and more blood slides down across her cheek. She chokes again and drags him closer, clasping something into his tiny hand and pulling him close till his face is near hers.  
  
"Du. . . Duo. . . run. . . run! Now! Get out before it's too late! Please, get away!" Something in her strained voice chills him to the core, and he clenches his fist around the silver cross she had pressed into his hand. She suddenly shoves him away and somehow gets enough breath into her rattling lungs to scream.  
  
"RUN! RUN!" The sinister whispering stills, and Duo's body moves without his will as he backs away. Movement attracts his eye, and he whirls to stare in horror at the front of the church. Stark and vivid against the gray, a twisted figure stares back at him through the smoke, shadowed with a sickening yellow miasma. Two glowing orbs lock on him from out of the face of a monster. Skeletal looking and ungainly, the creature hisses loudly through its jagged bloody teeth.  
  
The creature is crouched atop the rough alter, and Duo gags, nearly vomiting at the sight of what lays at its huge clawed feet. Staring lifeless eyes reflect the horrid yellow glow, kind face contorted in a horrible rictus of pain, lays the mangled shredded form of the priest. The beast's clawed hands rise slowly from their sheath in the dead man's chest.  
  
With a choked whimper of disgust and terror, Duo whirls and breaks into a staggering, panicked run for the half collapsed front door. An ear- splitting inhuman shriek sounds behind him, and he hears Sister Helen yelling again, screaming at him to run faster.  
  
He shoves his skinny form through the gap between the doors, wriggling to free himself and leaving behind a layer of skin in his desperation. Then he is running away as fast as his legs can carry him despite the voice in his mind screaming at him to stop, to go back, that he couldn't leave Sister Helen. But his body refused to stop, even when Sister's voice ceased to urge him on, and instead rose in a shriek of agony that is cut abruptly short.  
  
His exhausted body finally slows from its panicked flight, incapable of carrying him any further. With horror and grief radiating from his face, he turns slowly, still trapped in this new shadowed world, to stare in shock at distant billowing smoke and dancing blood red flames that are swallowing up the only home he has ever known. . .  
  
Uma: See? That wasn't so bad!  
  
Shouri prances in place.  
  
Shouri: You mean we're done!?!  
  
Uma sweatdrops.  
  
Uma: Only the prologue, Shouri. . . this is gonna be a long task, isn't it. . .  
  
Uma sighs, and shuts down the computer with a wave of her hand. Then, as she stands, the smooth bluish gray surface of the machine melts into a coat of velvety fur and the computer becomes a squat creature with the crocodilian head, almost dinosaur shaped body, and iridescent pearly pastel ruff running from the middle of his forehead to the tip of his tail, and ruffling at his elbows and under his jaw, known as a computer beast. He tilts his head to one side to let his little otter-like ears come into better use and grunts a questioning sound as he hops off of the desk. Shouri squeals happily and drops to her knees to hug him and scratch behind his ears.  
  
Shouri: Compy!  
  
Uma: Thanks for the help Compy. . . I'll let you know when I'm ready to start the next chapter. . . Please, Review! I got a lot done, and it's just waiting to go up, so tell me what you think while I work on that! Tankiwa!


	2. Chapter 1 When Two Meets Four

Shouri wrestles across the floor with the compy beast until Uma-chan grabs him and heaves him up onto the table, plopping on the couch.  
  
Uma-chan: Time to start Chapter 1! Ready Shouri?  
  
Shouri: Yeah! Let's go!  
  
Shouri leaps up on the couch as Compy transforms into Uma-chan's computer, and the little chibi watches avidly over Uma-chan's shoulder as the girl starts typing.  
  
Uma-chan: I hope everyone enjoys! Ja!

**Chapter 1 When Two Meets Four**  
  
The filthy alley seems empty, echoing with the sound of a far-off car alarm and the sound of a cat digging through the garbage, as wide cobalt blue eyes, shining with a bright inner fire of violet, gleam suspiciously out at the street.  
  
After several minutes of intense scrutiny, one of the shadows slides away from the wall and out onto the sidewalk. Under the flickering light of a nearby shops neon sign, the shape resolves itself into the form of a slender boy whose face and short height make him look about twelve despite the hard look in his too old eyes. His entire slender frame is shrouded in a coal gray trench coat, and a black baseball cap shades his head.  
  
Several passing strangers eye him appraisingly, but something about the way he stands seems to warn them off. Perhaps it's the tense wary set of his shoulders, or maybe it's the fact that his own unearthly violet eyes skewer each one with a cold fiery gaze.  
  
He grins a tight dangerous smile and starts down the street in a gliding trot that is reminiscent of a loping wolf on the hunt, eyes still flitting about. Occasionally he pauses along the way to nod at various people, an innocuous beggar with a surprisingly sharp look in his eyes, laying grizzled on the stoop of an abandoned building, a dirty preteen boy digging through a trashcan, who grins cockily at his greeting, a young unpretentious girl standing scantily clad on a street corner, whose hand slips suspiciously into her purse before she recognizes him. After several blocks in the disreputable neighborhood, he slows to a halt outside the door of a seedy looking building.  
  
The walls are disfigured with graffiti, but there is no sign advertising its contents. Without a word, he stands squarely in front of the door for a moment, and a new easier smile replaces his maniacal grin. Then he turns and slides between the building and the next, stepping over piles of refuse as he goes. The narrow space is stifled away from the light, and the sounds from the street are muffled.  
  
A slit of light appears in front of him, accompanied by the rusty creak of a heavy metal door. A gleaming crossbow appears through the gap, the arrowhead gleams dull silver.  
  
"Duo?" Duo grins and waves cheerily.  
  
"Hey there Rick, what'd I miss?" The door swings wider and the weapon is put up, and Duo sidles through the narrow entrance and into a brightly lit alcove. Inside, there is a man wearing a mechanics suit. He's at least a foot taller than Duo, and definitely broader in the shoulders.  
  
The entire wall behind him is composed of dozens of tiny security monitors displaying a wide array of scenes, including several shots of different streets, the alley, a view from the front door, and several of a strip club and bar. The big dark haired man steps to the side to make room for Duo, and opens a sliding door, uncovering a large closet.  
  
"Did your hunting go well?" Duo grins and tugs off his cap, passing it to Rick. He answers while he shrugs out of the trench coat.  
  
"Piece of cake. . . turns out it was a rather low level demon, and on its own too. It got the contact though. . . " his grin falters for a second, but it returns as he hands his coat to the big man. As the coat drops away, a long braid swings free, reaching down to mid-thigh. Underneath, he is wearing a black priests shirt, complete with white collar, and a pair of pants that flare at the hip. Strapped to his forearm is a small collapsed crossbow, several bulges and lumps hint at other concealed weapons, and a handgun grip protrudes from the back of his pants.  
  
With practiced efficiency he removes a veritable mountain of weaponry, which Rick carefully racks on the walls of the closet with more of the same. Several types of knives and various cutlery, as well as explosives, and a couple large capped syringes, plus two small handguns join the cache in the closet, but the gun in the back of his pants, and several throwing knives stay put.  
  
"Is Howard in?" Rick nods.  
  
"Yeah, he's in back, doin' something. . . " Rick shakes his head ruefully, and Duo laughs as he head for the hallway outside the alcove.  
  
"Thanks, man. I'll see ya around!" and with that the grinning boy bounces around the doorframe and out of sight down the narrow empty hall.  
  
Soon one wall of the hall changes into dark tinted glass, and through the gray hue, another room is visible. The one way window looks out from behind the bar at the large open room, and the stage where a stripper is dancing in the strobe lights. The room is not overly full, but there are a good thirty people visible, though more than half are dressed in mechanic suits similar to Rick's.  
  
Duo only spares the room a single glance before passing the spyglass and continuing to a large heavy door. He knocks once, lightly, before heaving it open and bounces through.  
  
" Kid! There you are!" a gray haired man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses waves exuberantly at him from across the room, which vaguely resembles a mess hall. Duo grins and waves madly.  
  
"Howard! What's up!" Duo weaves agilely through the tables, cheerily accepting greeting slaps and smiles from several people along the way as he approaches the old guy and the small group sitting with him.  
  
As he gets closer, his eyes narrow. He recognizes the bruised and slightly bloody young woman on Howard's right is Hilde. He has worked with her on a couple occasions. Beside her is one of Howard's Sweeper agents, but across from them is the Sweeper medic Sally Po, trying to wrap her arms protectively around a stranger.  
  
The new boy looks to be around his age, and he is shaking badly while trying to sip a cup of steaming tea. His fine sunny blonde hair is darkened by dried blood, a lot of which glows a vicious orange in Duo's world of gray, and he is wearing a jacket that is too large for him, a borrowed Sweeper jacket.  
  
"Yo, Howard, who's the kid?" he plops down on the bench beside the new boy, and the boy gasps and acts like Duo had attempted to knife him, nearly climbing into Sally's lap, then flinching away from her, his bright cerulean eyes wide with shock.  
  
Duo blinks, suddenly realizing that he is actually seeing this new boy in color, a fact that he had been distracted from before by the fact that the lad was liberally covered in glowing demon's blood. The boy's eyes suddenly widen further, and his mouth drops open.  
  
Duo's jaw drops and then the stranger scoots eagerly away from Sally and up against Duo's side so fast that Howard and Hilde blink. Duo stares down at the slightly smaller boy who has burrowed against his side and is shaking and looking at the others with wide eyes.  
  
"Uh. . . hi there! I'm Duo." Sally is looking at him with a lot of confusion on her face. The boy looks at him with wide, scared, innocent eyes, his trembling slowly fading away, though his grip on Duo's arm remains tight enough to cut off the blood flow.  
  
"He. . . he. . . hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Quatre Rebarba Winner. . . " Howard suddenly laughs.  
  
"I don't have a clue how you do it dude, but I'm glad we have you around Kid! That's the first thing he's said since Hilde dragged him in here!"  
  
"It's a gift, what can I say?" Duo continues to stare at the boy, marveling at the bright crisp colors and marveling at the comforting feeling the color of his eyes is giving him. Finally he looks up at Hilde and Howard, while Quatre begins to relax slightly.  
  
"So what's the deal?" Hilde wipes at some of the glowing orange blood on her gray face.  
  
"I got a call from the uptown guard, and went to investigate. They said a couple of dogs and a horse went missing in the park. He thought it might have been a low level lycanthrope, so. . . " Duo gives her a strange look.  
  
"Well I guess it wasn't a lycanthrope, hey Hil? That is not were blood!" Hilde blinks and smiles slightly.  
  
"No, it wasn't a were. I never saw nothing like this thing before, some kind of mobile daemon tree. Anyway, I got there just in time to hack it's vines away from our lucky Mr. Winner there, but he was covered in blood and in shock, so I had to bring him here for medical treatment and decontamination, or else he'd be drawing scavengers in less than an hour." Duo nods, and turns to the young man clinging to him, grinning in a jester- like manner.  
  
"Well, seems like you've been having an exciting day!" Quatre blinks at him and smiles shyly, his grip finally falling away, and then he offers the others at the table an apologetic smile.  
  
"I'm sorry that I freaked out there. . . " Howard guffaws.  
  
"Don't worry about it Shortstuff, that's not the worst reaction we've gotten from someone we've rescued! Dude, what are people supposed to do, laugh off their first encounter with something supernatural?" Duo laughs.  
  
"So Hil, did you have any trouble seeing it?" Hilde's cheeks darken.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I couldn't really see it, I just shot at the movement. . . looked a little bit like a tree though. . . " Quatre looks at her funny. Duo grins.  
  
"Don't worry, sometimes takes some practice to see them, little Dude." Quatre blushes, which fascinates Duo, since it has been so long since he has seen any shade of pink, let alone that one.  
  
"Uh, actually sir, I could see it. . . uh it. . . didn't really look like a tree. It was colored like the tree, but it more like a giant squid with hundreds of vines instead of tentacles. . . " Howard looks at him, and Hilde gapes.  
  
"You could see it?!" Hilde's voice raises an octave in indignant surprise. Quatre blushes to a darker hue, which is really noticeable with his fair complexion.  
  
"I. . . uh, yeah. . . but that's the first one like that. . . the others ones weren't that ugly. . . or evil. . . that thing made my skin crawl. . . I felt like I was going to be sick. . . " Duo throws a comradely arm around Quatre's shoulders.  
  
"Don't worry Quatre, they used to make me feel like that sometimes too, you get used to it!" Hilde looks at Duo.  
  
"Duo, aren't you a little worried about this. . . I mean, no one can see them without training for months! I've been at it a year, and still don't always catch them!" Duo chuckles and Quatre picks up his tea to finish the now lukewarm drink. Howard laughs too.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, Hilde. Some people are just naturals, it's rare, but it does happen, Babe! I say it's all to the greater good, it'll make it less likely that we'll have to pull his bacon out of the fire again." Duo grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I would be able to tell if he were dangerous or possessed. And he'd know I was dangerous, so he wouldn't be sittin' anywhere near me!" Duo grins and Quatre giggles a little, and then cuts off in a yawn.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Duo grins and Howard braces his hands behind his head, grinning like a proud grandparent.  
  
"Nah, don't worry about it, little dude, we understand! Listen, how about Duo takes you to get cleaned up, and then shows you where you can get some sleep, and we can talk some more in the morning. And don't worry about your report till then, 'kay Kid?" Duo grins and stands, stretching towards the ceiling with a yawn.  
  
"Okay, Howie! A shower and bed sounds good. Come on Mr. Winner!" Quatre blushes and rises as well, clutching the too big jacket against his bloodied chest, which is still draped with the stained tatters of his shredded shirt. He hurries to catch up with Duo.  
  
"Please, call me Quatre. . . " The Sweeper leader and his group stare after the two for a minute, and then Howard laughs.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling we're gonna be seein' that kinda thing a lot. . . " With that, the older man gets up with a yawn.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay! Seeya in the mornin' Sally, guys!" Sally rises as well, and nods her head in farewell before retreating to her room. Soon only Hilde remains to stare after the innocent looking blond suspiciously.  
  
After three corridors, two steep downward staircases and of all things a fireman's pole, Duo finally leads Quatre into a damp gym locker type shower. The whole trip, Duo kept up an endless stream of inane chatter, slowly coaxing the tension out of Quatre's shoulders and a true smile out of his polite mask.  
  
"Here ya go! We're gonna hafta burn your clothes, these should do till you can get home. Now just jump in that stall, and toss your rags over the top. Here, make sure you scrub with this, it'll kill the scent so you don't have any nasties nippin' at your heels later!" looking slightly bemused, Quatre follows Duo's directions, and is on his second lather and rinse when he hears a second shower turn on, and the air is suddenly filled with loud raucous singing and splashing.  
  
Quatre finally starts laughing at the nonsensical yodeling, and Duo joins him. To Quatre's surprise, Duo finishes before him, and by the time he steps out toweling his hair, Duo is already dressed in a new set of black priest's clothing, and is tying off the end of his long braid.  
  
"How did you do that?" Duo grins and tosses his soaked towel into a bin. Quatre follows it with his, squirming to try and get the loose coverall to settle over his shoulders.  
  
"Lots and lots of practice! So listen, do you care about where you sleep? Cause if you don't mind, I room in a double, but I don't have a roommate, and it's a lot closer than any of the empty quarters. . . " Quatre smiles.  
  
"Thank you, that is very kind of you. . . " Duo waves him off while leading him down another echoing corridor.  
  
"Nah, you may feel differently when you see the mess. . . Uh, listen, you said you could see them, so I thought I better warn you, sometimes a few harmless little thingamajigs hang around my quarters, never could figure out why, but if they're gonna bother you it might be best if ya room elsewhere. . . " Quatre blinks and then smiles reassuringly.  
  
"Oh no, they won't bother me, I'm used to seeing the little kind all over." Duo flashes a grin over his shoulder, and then opens a door, motioning for Quatre to precede him. The room is painted entirely in black, with star maps painted across the ceiling and walls. Duo edges past him and dumps several stacks of comics and books and a stack of clothes off of the made bed and onto the floor.  
  
"There ya go!" Quatre smiles, and then politely covers his mouth as he yawns again. Duo tugs him over and guides him into sitting on the bed.  
  
"I can see you're tired, I should quit yackin' your ears off." And with that, the braided boy switches off the light, leaving the room lit only by a very faint glow from a keypad by the door. Quatre hesitates a moment before laying back and pulling the covers over his body.  
  
"I wanted to thank you again Duo. . . and I really feel badly for freaking out on that nice lady, Hilde. I should have thanked her, after all she did save my life." Duo chuckles over in the dark.  
  
"Don't worry about it Q, Hilde won't take it personal. And it's no trouble at all, you're just lucky that she was there, huh?" Quatre hm's sleepily and turns his head towards Duo's bed. He blinks, and fights against his heavy eyelids, but sleep is swiftly overcoming his senses in a leaden mist.  
  
The last thing before his eyes as he fades into sleep, is the image of Duo's body, clearly visible in the dark, and seeming to radiate a soft violet glow, and a tiny feathered creature appearing on the edge of the end table and peering at him with bright eyes as it perches on the edge in its soft blue haze. And the last thing he does before sleep is smile dreamily at the little creature, lifting his hand and placing it palm up on his pillow next to his face.  
  
Bright violet eyes blink into the darkness, and watch in curious detachment, as a small, feathered demi-demon trills softly, and settles itself between the sleeping boy's wrist and face. When nothing else happens, they close once more, and then the only sound in the room is the gentle breathing of sleep.  
  
Uma-chan looks at Shouri and snorts. The little chibi is curled up across her lap and most of the couch. With a sigh, Uma-chan smiles.  
  
Uma-chan: I hope everyone is enjoying the fic! I'd like reviews whether you are or aren't but as long as someone out there is enjoying it, I don't really mind if you just read and run. . . oh, and special thanks to cryearthstearsfalltou for my first official non-family/friend review! Tankiwa!


	3. Chapter 2 Practically Harmless

Uma-chan: Hey there guys, sorry this took so long to get up! I did get them ready to upload, but then I had some computer trouble, and forgot to redo them! The next chapter should be a lot quicker! Right Shour... uh, nevermind...  
  
Looks at the little horse-chibi all curled up on the writing room couch, and shakes her head.  
  
Uma-chan: Just enjoy... I'll see about waking her up. Ja!

**Chapter 2 Practically Harmless**  
  
"Good God! What do you do? Feed them?!" Quatre stirs in his sleep, but the soft feel of feathers against his cheek reassures him, even though he doesn't recognize his surroundings. He stretches out with a yawn, feeling his sore body ease itself with the motion. Then he opens his eyes to see an incredulous violet-eyed boy leaning over him, thick braid swinging over his shoulder. Quatre sits up slightly and follows his gaze, and his mouth drops open in surprise. Dozens of creatures are cuddled against him through his blanket, most unfamiliar in tones of gray and brown, though there are at least a dozen in jewel tones that are familiar to the Arabian boy. He eyes the new creatures in surprise and worry.  
  
"Uh...Duo..." Duo is watching the demi-demons blanketing his charge with narrowed eyes. He is familiar with most of the creatures, they hang about him all the time, and he has never seen them feed off of a person's life energy but he is worried nonetheless. They are either doing that or, oddly enough, cuddling with Quatre as he sleeps, and he has never seen them do that before either.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why are they all sleeping on me? They're not mine!" Reassured by the healthy pale blue glow of Quatre's life force, and the indignation in his voice, Duo finally decides that as strange as it is, the little things are indeed cuddling.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that I've never seen most of these before! Where did they come from?!" Duo scratches the back of his head.  
  
"I don't know. I've never seen them do this before..." Quatre makes a move to get up, and all the new ones with their bright colors vacate the bed, most fading into a state of invisibility and intangibility. The ones that are common to his quarters do not move however. In fact a few glare at the poor Arabian boy when his movements shift them. Duo leans over to inspect the multi-hued demi-demon that is tucked firmly against Quatre's neck. It's super fine feathers resemble fur in some places, and range in color from pearly pinks to soft blues and violets, to bright teal green, all swirled around its tiny body in an appealing random design.  
  
"They won't let me up..." Duo tears his gaze away from the soft black eyes of the strange beast, and sighs in exasperation.  
  
"Well they have to. I'm hungry! Get off!" Too his surprise, they obey, all except one, which clings tenaciously to the front of Quatre's shirt. Duo recognizes it as one of the first demi-demons that started following him around. It resembles a bat, but it's furless, except for a few black tufts, and its snout is lined with too-large teeth. It looks at him pleadingly with amber eyes, and makes a pleading keen. Quatre's face suddenly goes blank, and he stops trying to pry the thing off.  
  
"You again? When are you gonna stop doin' stuff like this? I don't get what you want! I've tried feeding you; you don't eat anything I offer! Hell, I even tried blood and all you did was stare at me! What do you want? What could you possibly want? You've been here for years!" the thing trembles and buries its face against Quatre's chest, and Duo suddenly feels like a wicked witch. Quatre reaches up and places a hand over the bat creature.  
  
"Don't yell, he's not hurting anything!" Duo blinks sheepishly.  
  
"I didn't mean to yell... I just can't figure that one out. The others all want something, they get it and leave, but he keeps hanging around, and I can't figure out what he wants!" Quatre gets up. The thing is making a soft hiccupping keen that reminds Duo uncannily of a child crying. The fluffy demon on Quatre's shoulder is trilling.  
  
"I think that he might just like you... he seems to want to go to you rather than hang off of me..." Duo squirms uncomfortable with the strange emotions swirling inside of him. He can't understand why he feels sorry for the keening demon, and his desire to make its cries stop and erase the sadness from Quatre's face is unnerving. Finally he comes to a snap decision and thrusts out his hand.  
  
"Here then, give him to me..." Quatre looks at him in surprise, then looks down at his chest and starts working at the little thing's carefully placed talons. The big bat ears quiver and it makes a whining sound as it is drawn away from his chest, but it carefully does not grip his hand as he lifts it away. Then the noises stop as it is passed into Duo's palm. A pair of wide amber eyes stare up at him and then the little thing wraps itself as tightly around his wrist as it can without digging in its talons. It buries its snout against his thumb and makes a sound that sounds exactly like a cat's contented purring. Duo blinks.  
  
"You mean this thing has been following me around for nearly ten years because it wants to cuddle me?!" Duo stares incredulously down at the vibrating ball. It's a lot warmer than he expected, and its skin feels like velvet.  
  
"That's all the ones that follow me around ever want to do..." Quatre reaches up to his shoulder and cups his hand over the feathery lump crouched against his neck. It wriggles and makes a chirruping sound as he strokes his fingers over its back. Duo sighs in exasperation, wondering why having one of his worst enemies nuzzling against his fingers isn't bothering him as much as he thought it would, but decides to ponder it later. His head is starting to hurt from thinking so much before breakfast.  
  
"Whatever... it's happy now, can we go eat?" Quatre giggles slightly.  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"Nah, don't apologize, let's go! I'm starving!" as they trot through the corridors towards the upper levels, and Duo makes no move to remove his passenger, the little bat loosens its strangle hold. Suddenly Duo pauses with a yelp. Quatre giggles as he looks at the braided boy.  
  
"Uh...I think he just climbed down the back of your shirt..." Duo squirms as a tiny lump migrates across his back, under his arm and up his chest till a wiggling snout pokes out of the front of his shirt and two amber eyes peer up at him.  
  
"Sheesh! I didn't even feel him leave my wrist!" The thing purrs, and strokes its snout against his skin.  
  
"Mine do that sort of thing all the time... it took me forever to get it through their heads that I didn't want them to go down my pants!" Quatre laughs, and Duo stares at him in shock. The thought of having a small fanged and clawed demon in his boxers is vaguely disturbing, but only because he is finding the idea so damned funny! He instead looks down at his passenger, brows furrowed in a frown.  
  
"I find you in my shorts and it's the last time I let you do this, got it?" the creature looks at him with wide intelligent eyes, but makes no comment other than to curl up in the crook of his neck, just under the collar of his clothes.  
  
"So how many of these things actually do this sort of thing?" Quatre smiles at Duo as they start again.  
  
"They all do, but this one seems to follow me everywhere. He was the first... I've taken to calling him Sandrock." Duo looks at him with one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Sandrock? What kind of name is that?" Quatre blushes.  
  
"My father had a horse called Sandrock...she was really sweet and gentle..." Duo blinks.  
  
"Fair enough, I guess. Here we are! Finally! Food! uh- oh..." they turn the corner into the cafeteria and step right into pandemonium. There is blood everywhere and everyone is rushing around in a barely contained panic. About a dozen people are spread out on the tables, and Sally is yelling instructions as she works, trying to sew up a huge gash in a man's throat. Howard's spies him and starts waving his blood-covered arms.  
  
"Kid! Man I'm glad you're up! I was just gonna call for you!" Duo dashes through the crowd towards him, with Quatre stumbling after him.  
  
"Howie! What happened?!" Howard breathes out shakily.  
  
"It's bad, Kid... real bad... something took out the entire Eastside cell!" Duo freezes.  
  
"Eastside's gone? How is that possible! They had over three hundred members, and the wards on that cell are so thick that they start a block away from the place!" Howard collapses into a chair wearily.  
  
"Don't know... but whatever did it took out all of the operatives without raising any of the alarms.... And Kid... the wards are still in place. Whatever did this, we've never faced it before..." Duo curses creatively for several minutes.  
  
"Alright, so what do we do? Doesn't anyone have any idea what we're up against?" Howard looks contemplative.  
  
"Just one... but he ain't gonna be able to talk much longer, and none of the others look like they're even gonna wake up... whatever this is, it sure doesn't believe in taking prisoners..."  
  
"Alright, take me too him."  
  
Uma-chan: Well, that's it! I hope you liked it! See ya next time!  
  
Something small stirs behind her and a sleepy eyed Shouri sits up and blinks around.  
  
Shouri: Uma-chan? Is it time to do the next chapter now?  
  
Uma-chan: Ah! Shouri!  
  
Uma-chan jumps about four feet up and clutches her chest, then turns and glares.  
  
Uma-chan: No Shouri, it's done already... you wouldn't wake up!  
  
Shouri tilts her head and smiles.  
  
Shouri: It is? Yay! Now I don't have to sit through it! Read and Review, everybody, Read and Review!  
  
Uma-chan just sweatdrops and shakes her head, throwing the audience a pleading look.


	4. Chapter 3 Threats in Blood

Uma-chan: Next chapter, RtR!  
  
Shouri: Huh?  
  
Uma-chan: Ready-to-Read. Just tell 'em to start reading, and come help me remember what I wanted to ask them after their done!  
  
Shouri: Okay! We don't own GW or the nice bishies, in case anyone thinks we do and hasn't read our general disclaimer on our author page, but we hope you like our ficcy anyway! Ja!

**Chapter 3 Threats in Blood**  
  
The small room off of the cafeteria is dim, and the occupant wails piteously when they open the door. There are several low level lamps placed around him, and Duo pauses, eyes narrowing as he looks at the strange man. He is strapped to a table, and his broad shoulders are straining against the bonds. He is virtually bathed in blood, and even in the dim light he looks unnaturally pale, but there are no signs of wounds on his body. His eyes lock on Duo as he convulses again and howls inhumanly. The sound fades into a pained whimper. Duo is glad he made Quatre stay outside. He approaches the tableside carefully.  
  
"I need you to tell me what happened." The man gasps and looks at him, and the unnatural glow of white on his skin makes Duo shiver. He barely restrains himself from backing away like he would when confronted with a starving wolf.  
  
"Who are you?" the voice is broken and trembles on the edge of being a growl. Duo feels the hair on his arms stand straight up.  
  
"Duo Maxwell, first operative of the Main Sweeper cell." The man's eyes grow alert and eager.  
  
"... Maxwell's Demon? The God of Death?..."  
  
"I'm sometimes called that. Are you going to tell me what happened at Eastside?" the man stiffens as if in pain, then slumps again.  
  
"I'll tell you. My name is Odin Lowe... I'm an assassination specialist with the Underground. The Eastside cell had contracted me about a week ago to...ah!... to pull a difficult job, they had a... shape shifter... hiding among the... mayor's campaign party...my... son and I, we did the job, and they offered us an overnight berth... it was during the night that... they came... they shouldn't have been able too, and the air... it was thick, like poison... everyone panicked... all I remember is screaming and running... and the lights failed, and all the shadows seemed to be alive... nothing affected them, the monsters leapt from nowhere, ignored all wounds... they looked almost human, but they had claws... and they tore the throats out of their victims with their teeth... I shot three... they just got up and healed... and then Kid... he ran out of ammo, and ... and ..." Odin shudders and closes his eyes. Duo wonders what the creatures were... lycanthropes maybe? They heal pretty fast... Odin starts crying, and Duo nearly gasps in shock... Odin is crying tears of blood.  
  
"Please, Odin, I need to know the rest if I'm going to go after these sons' of bitches..." Odin opens his eyes, and they seem blacker than before... almost dead. And then he grins maniacally.  
  
"Yes! Kill them! I couldn't, couldn't kill them, Kid couldn't kill them! They took him from me, and they drank his blood! ... "The insane light leaves his eyes a moment. "...Duo, you have to be careful, they're strong and fast... deadly... Kid, he wasn't normal, he could bend steel barehanded and take dozens of major injuries, but still keep moving... that thing, it overpowered him in an instant, and the others came and surrounded him and... I've never heard Kid scream... he's never cried before... but he screamed and screamed and screamed... and then he went limp and silent... I tried to get to him, but one got behind me... I understand why he screamed, the things bite, and their teeth burn, and the heat floods along your veins like acid rage... I got away cause I bit the thing's hand. It's blood tasted foul like rancid meat, and it howled and slammed me against the wall, and then laughed like metal twisting out of place... when I woke up, I looked... but I couldn't find... oh, Kid... I'm sorry Kid..." He spasms again and gasps. His voice turns even more raspy and inhuman. Duo backs up, startled.  
  
"Odin! Odin! What's wrong? What's happening to you?" Odin shudders and his eyes lock on Duo... but not his eyes. Odin's black dead eyes lock with the gaze of one starving on Duo's throat, and Duo suddenly has a sick feeling in his stomach, that he knows what is going on.  
  
"They were vampires weren't they? I thought they were wives' tales... I've never heard of a living one...'  
  
"...Maxwell... please... I'm turning into one of them... kill me... please, kill me! While I'm still human enough! I don't want to die a monster...like the ones that killed my poor Kid..." Duo shudders at the pleading tone. Then he draws out a dagger from his side that gleams silver in the light. Odin's half- human eyes lock on the shining blade like a beacon of salvation. Then he locks gazes with Duo, and smiles through another shudder.  
  
"Hey Maxwell. Thank you...and please... make sure those bastards pay for this... kill them for me... for Kid..." Duo's heart wrenches.  
  
"I promise, Odin. I won't leave one of those bloodsucker's alive... go in peace, and may Shinigami embrace you, my friend..." the shining blade falls in a glistening arc, then extinguishes its light as it buries itself into Odin's heart. A scream echoes that is almost as much devil cry as human call of pain. The scream goes on for what seems an eternity, full of hate and rage and pain... but also full of elation and joy. And Duo knows that Odin died while still human, as the cry ends and Odin's body slumps back onto the table. Duo withdraws his blade, and sadly wipes it clean on Odin's sleeve.  
  
The whole cafeteria is staring at the door with pale faces and wide eyes, and Duo winces. He suddenly realizes that the little bat demon is still tucked inside his shirt, and the thing is shivering spasmodically. He can barely hear the tiny mewls of distress. Quatre is approaching, and Howard. Sally is trailing them, covered in blood, and behind her, Hilde approaches, looking very unhappy. Duo raises a hand to his chest and covers the quivering lump that is curled against his heart. It stills and calms. Quatre looks scared out of his wits, and on the verge of tears. When he is close enough, he throws himself at Duo and clings to his arm, shaking.  
  
"Hey, Quatre... Kat, it's okay..." Quatre nods.  
  
"Yeah, I know... but I could feel that... it was..." he shivers hard, and Duo can see that Sandrock has spawned several more small demons which are clinging to Quatre's clothes. All of the ones hiding among the folds of Quatre's jumpsuit are the bright colored ones that seemed to have arrived with the Arabian, and a quick glance shows many more hiding around the room, most of which are his... wait a minute! When did I start considering them mine?! Duo frowns, but is distracted from his thoughts by the arrival of a weary Sally, a nervous Howard, and a scowling Hilde. Howard gestures agitatedly at the door.  
  
"What in hell was that, Kid!?!" Duo shrugs the shoulder that Quatre isn't hanging off of. The Arabian seems to be calming down, and he's taking this much better than most people who only found out about the Underground and its resistance against the dark demons of the Underworld the day before.  
  
"Sally, are any of the others showing signs of recovering?" Sally shakes her head.  
  
"No... we just lost the last one..." Duo sighs in relief, drawing funny looks.  
  
"Good. We won't have to kill them, then... we're dealing with something new, Howard. Can you get a team together to do some research? I think we might be dealing with vampires... or at least the creature that the legend is based on..." Howard looks rather ill. Sally goes pale, and Hilde is gaping.  
  
"How'd they get into the base!?! Nothing can get past the wards if it isn't human!" Duo sighs in exasperation.  
  
"Sure stuff can, Mr. Lowe in there got in, and he wasn't quite human still at the time..." Quatre looks like he's just thought of something.  
  
"Hey Duo... maybe we should ask the little ones... they might know how the vampires did it, after all, how do they get in and out?" Duo looks poleaxed. He sputters and minute, then starts laughing.  
  
"Now why hadn't I thought of that? I guess I'm just so used to them, that I forget that they can get past the wards..." Howard looks at him.  
  
"Kid, you got a screw loose? What are you two talking about?" Duo sighs.  
  
"Sorry, Howard, I forget your Sight is consciously controlled..." He glances around quickly and locates the nearest demi-demon, a tiny gnome-like beast that is half-hidden behind the coffee pot. He really doesn't feel like coaxing his little bat demon out of his shirt... or revealing that he has a bat demon in his shirt.  
  
"Look over next to the coffee pot." Howard and the other three look, and after a minute, there are gasps of shock. The little thing ducks behind it. Hilde reaches for her knife, but Duo grabs her hand.  
  
"They're harmless. There are so many, they could overpower you if there was a fight, so leave them alone. They've been here for months, with no problems." Hilde gapes at him, then sweeps the room with a squint-eyed gaze that means she's inciting her Sight.  
  
"You mean we've been living with a horde of demons and you never told us!" she shrieks and Duo flinches. Quatre blushes.  
  
"Well, if you didn't realize they were here without being told, they obviously haven't been causing trouble!" Hilde glares.  
  
"It doesn't matter! They're demons, and all demons must be destroyed! I thought you of all people would understand that!" Duo stiffens.  
  
"I don't care how you feel about my actions, Hilde... but we never kill anything harmless! Ever! The were that killed your family is dead... not all demons are like that one, just like not all humans are good. These varieties can coexist peacefully with us, and as long as they continue to do so, we will let them!" Duo turns his back on her, his face completely blank.  
  
"Tell me when the results on the search is over. I'm gonna go to the training room for a bit..." Howard looks upset. He holds out a hand as Duo turns and stalks away.  
  
"Hey, Kid! What about breakfast!" Duo looks over his shoulder, then around the room.  
  
"No thanks... I'm not hungry. Keep everyone away for a least an hour, okay?" Howard nods, and Duo turns and stalks halfway across the room before he pauses and turns. His face is smiling again.  
  
"Hey Kat! Ya gonna help me with this?" Quatre, who had been standing forgotten behind the others, irresolute, smiles radiantly and takes off after Duo eagerly. The two exit as they had entered, with Duo trailing Quatre, and both smiling.  
  
Uma-chan: They're done already?! Shoot, I still can't remember! It had something to do with what I'm doing in future chapters...  
  
Shouri giggles behind her hand and her eyes sparkle.  
  
Shouri: Far future chapters! Aha! You wanted to ask them if anyone had any suggestions for future relationships.  
  
Uma-chan: Oh yeah! Hey, I'm at a point in the story where the pairings are going to start being more... uh, obvious I guess, less nebulous and uniform among the boys, and I wanted to give anyone who is really liking my fic a chance to tell me what pairings they prefer... I might not use them, but if you review and tell them to me, I promise to at least seriously consider them! Tankiwa!  
  
Shouri: Yuppers! Read and Review please!


	5. Chapter 4 Hound on the Scent

Uma-chan: This one is kinda short... oh, and guys, I know that a lot of authors won't post if they don't get enough reviews, and I am definitely not one of those, but I really would appreciate a few more reviews... I'd like to know I'm doing a good job!  
  
Shouri: yawn Yes, please review! Even if you just wanna say you hate it, we don't mind, so long as you tell us why you hate it! Tell us your favorite or most hated lines and parts! Point out our mistakes! Anything, just let us be able to acknowledge our readers! Tankies!  
  
Uma-chan: Well, she's pretty enthusiastic for someone bored out of her mind, isn't she? This is a short chapter, enjoy!  
  
Shouri: Oh, and again, we don't own, as we state in our author haven! Ja!

**Chapter 4 Hound on the Scent**  
  
Quatre sits gingerly on a stool and looks at Duo as the other teen pounds on a punching bag, his braid flying behind him as he ducks and weaves with his imaginary opponent.  
  
"...Duo?..."  
  
"Yeah?" Duo grunts.  
"Are you okay?" Duo snorts and flashes him a big grin.  
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Quatre looks at him with wide sympathetic eyes. There is silence for a few moments.  
  
"Duo?..." Duo twitches slightly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why do you fight the demons? Do you hate them?" Duo blinks at him.  
  
"I don't hate them... at least not all of them..." the smoke billowed and choked... the evil voice whispered...  
  
"Then why do you fight?" Duo closes his eyes. ...the air is thick with the smell of burnt flesh...two glowing yellow eyes glare at him through the smoke and flames... a woman screaming...  
  
"Demons have killed everyone I ever cared about..." Quatre sidles up beside him.  
  
"What happened?" Duo blinks.  
  
"...you ever hear of the Maxwell Church Orphanage? And the accident that happened there ten years ago?" Quatre's eyes widen in recognition.  
  
"It wasn't an accident... I was there... and I'm the only one who survived..." Duo sits on a bench, and Quatre sits beside him, leaning is shoulder against Duo's in silent comfort. It doesn't take long for Duo to shake off his melancholy and regain his cheery personality.  
  
"Well... you want to tell me about this idea of yours? How can you ask a demon anything? They don't talk!" Quatre smiles a little.  
  
"I never ask them in words... I've always had this ability to sense emotions... it seems to run in the family, though my father and sisters don't have it, my Grandfather did...and I found out I can use it to communicate with them. I could try now, if you want me too..." Duo grins widely and waves his hand in front of him in an encouraging gesture.  
  
"Hey, ask away! It can't hurt anything!" Quatre smiles brightly and then gets a sort of faraway look to his eyes. Duo watches in rapt fascination, still as if he fears he might break the blonde's concentration. After fifteen minutes he starts fidgeting. A half hour later finds him pacing, and hour later he is back to attacking the punching bag, throwing occasional glances at his companion, who could be a statue for all he notices the attention.  
  
Finally, his frenzied blows are interrupted by a soft sound, like a sigh, and Duo turns to find Quatre slumping out of his formal posture, hand to his head and a sleepy expression on his face.  
  
"Yo, Q, get anything?" Quatre looks at him without recognition for a second, then smiles.  
  
"Sandrock knows what we're facing, it's seen them before. They are similar enough to that old legend that you could call them 'vampires'. It also thinks it knows how they got past the wards... the little ones, they can phase through to another state of consciousness, and they can fit through tiny holes that most things would miss... the vampires, they can squeeze through the holes too, like a mist or a fog... I don't know how to explain it..." Quatre looks at Duo with pleading tired eyes, while the braided boy glares out across the training room with angry eyes.  
  
"Damn. That's not good... what are we supposed to do, run around trying to plug all the holes? we didn't even know they were there! How the hell are supposed to find 'em?" Quatre's little demon friend makes a soft trilling sound as the blonde's stomach rumbles. Duo blinks and starts laughing as his own echoes the complaint.  
  
"Ah, we'll figure something out! Meanwhile, I believe we missed breakfast! Let's go get something to eat already!" Quatre smiles beautifully and trails after Duo again as the other boy sets out towards the mess hall again, braid swinging with the hyper energy of his bouncing steps. Neither notice the slightly puzzled eyes that watch them from a nearby alcove.  
  
Shouri: Done! This one was short!!!  
  
Uma-chan: Yes, Shouri, I told you it would be... stupid, impatient chibi... anywho, I hope everyone is enjoying this still! Review please, and tell me what you think! Tankiwa! Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 5 Wolves in the Fold

Shouri: Uma-chan is sorry! She didn't mean to make you wait so long, honest! And we have a good reason... but because those of you still reading are probably sooo mad at us, we're gonna cut the author babble and let you check the profile if you're interested... Oh, yeah! And it's the same old, same old... we don't own... you don't sue... Hope you like!

**Chapter 5 Wolves in the Fold**

Duo chatters inanely all throughout their late breakfast, somehow managing to shovel a large amount of food into his mouth while still flooding their table with talking, and without speaking with his mouth full. Quatre simply stared for the first few minutes, before he decided to ignore that little talent and concentrate on his own meal. Until Howard and Sally joined them, and then Duo's mundane blabber became somehow serious, despite the fact that his joking tone never falters for an instant.

"Hey, Howie, what's up?" His violet eyes look vaguely worried as he takes in the stressed flavor to his boss's expression. Sally simply sits across from Quatre with a shocked look on her face. The blonde squirms, not quite sure why her unresponsiveness is making him uneasy.

"Hey, little dude, we gotta talk... we lost contact with the Chinatown cell." Duo curses inventively, his eyes whipping around to settle on the emotionless Sally. Quatre notices for the first time, the vaguely Chinese slant to the Doctor's eyes, while marveling at the extensive vocabulary Duo is using while spouting profanities in several different languages.

"Are you sure? The whole thing?!" Howard nods.

"You know it was the smallest and weakest base, Kid... they only had about fifty members, and none of them were priests or hunters..." Quatre's eyes widen as he sees a suspicious sheen glitter in Sally's downcast eyes. His chest hurts in a way that makes him certain that he isn't going to like what he's about to learn.

"Bloody Hell, Howard! Those fucking bastards have gone too far! Fuck!" Duo stands up, slamming his bench against the one behind it as he stomps away, fury written in every line of his body. Howard watches him go with sad eyes. Sally turns her head slightly and watches him stomp out of sight.

"Excuse me... what happened?..." Quatre looks at them with wide eyes, but before Howard can answer, Sally looks him straight in the eye, and lets silent tears roll unnoticed down her face.

"The Chinatown cell was a support cell, they didn't have any fighters stationed there. Their function was to study, dismantle, and store any artifacts we discovered. It was also the residence of several retired specialists and half a dozen medics, plus their pupils... about half of its members were children and civilians..." Quatre's eyes widen with each word, and he clutches at his heart over his chest, Sandrock clinging to his shoulder, its tiny face buried in his neck. Waves of black grief and emotional pain wash over him, and he stares wide-eyed as flashes of memories swamp him with the emotions. He stares at her with horror and sadness written all over his features.

"... your family was there... I... I'm so sorry..." Howard's head whips around in surprise at his halting words, and Sally' eyes widen.

"Yes. I was raised and trained in the Chinatown base... and my family was still there..." She stands and turns in one fluid motion, and is gone.

"How the hell did you know that, Kid?!" Quatre looks at Howard with tears in his aquamarine eyes, and smiles sadly.

"I could feel it... she was sad, and I could see them... she..." and with that, he keels over in an exhausted faint, Sandrock keening loudly.

Two hours later, he awakens in the mess hall. He is wrapped in a blanket and cocooned into a battered armchair over in one corner. The rest of the hall is stuffed with people in Sweepers uniforms, and he watches with wide eyes as they shout at one another, until Howard stands up on a table and holds his hands up, yelling for quiet.

"Okay, homeys, we gotta get this shindig under way... we got news! Cecilia brought in the word on what's goin' down, so I want you all to shut your traps and listen to the pretty lady real good, ya hear?" The hall falls silent, but for a few chuckles at that little speech, and a young woman of about 25 climbs up beside the gray-haired old man, who grins behind his sunglasses, and motions for her to take over. Her Sweepers jacket is a little dirty, and her reddish brown hair is pulled back in a tight tail that brushes the neckline of her shirt.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. It doesn't look good. The Eastside cell was infiltrated, and the creatures seem to be using it as their nest. The wards have warped, I couldn't get within a block and a half of the building. The Dransten St. cell managed to repulse an attack, but the assault was rather minor, more like a feint, and even then it was only held off when every goddamn priest in the place was shoring up their wards with everything they had. The Chinatown block was wiped out. The base is empty, it doesn't even look like there was a struggle, except that the storage rooms have been emptied, and their guardians are ... dead." She pales slightly a moment, then takes a gulp of air and continues.

"Southend is in a total lockdown, they aren't even sending out hunters anymore. About twenty minor cells have evacuated their strongholds and are seeking shelter in the larger bases. Sometime tonight we'll be receiving evacuees from seven of the support bases in our district... and I couldn't contact three of our non-Sweeper ally bases. Two of them are confirmed destroyed, one's wards are warped like the Eastside wards..." Her eyes stare throughout her entire speech at a blank spot on the wall, but Quatre can feel the fear radiating off of her, and her shoulders are shaking slightly as she steps down. The hall is silent in shocked contemplation. Howard steps up once more.

"Well, dudes... that's the situation. These beasts are nasty. They can get through the wards, their super strong, almost impervious to any weapon we have currently at our disposal, and the blood-sucking bastards seem to be moving on us. I want reports from all the scouts, and I want them now. 'cause there ain't no way in Hell that I'm willing to just sit here and let them walk right in here like they did at Eastside." His vehemence seems to reassure some of the Sweeper agents, and a quiet murmur of conversation rises.

A short man with broad shoulders and a nasty scar running across his face stands and shoves over to the table, then leans up and barks something curtly at Howard, who pulls his head back in surprise. Duo, who has been sitting behind Howard, leans forward is shock.

"Jesus Fucking Christ! Are you sure?!" the man nods.

"I'm certain. I saw at least twelve at my market. They were all stalking around with pistols and swords under their coats, asking questions and looking suspicious. I'd recognize them uniforms anywhere." Howard blinks.

"Alright, how many other informants saw Maguanac agents at their posts, looking downright pissed and brewing for a fight?" Quatre blinks.

Did he just say... Maguanacs?! As in, my Maguanacs?!! My bodyguards!?!!!

A few more Sweepers have joined the stocky informant at the base of Howard's table. Quatre stands and starts sidling politely through the crowd towards Duo, barely paying attention as the others report.

"... not answering questions..."

"... nearly gave me a new place to breath from!..."

"... frikken guy scared the hell outta my clientele..." Quatre pants softly, and then pauses as Howard raises a hand behind his head to scratch in puzzled wonderment.

"What the hell is goin' on? The Maguanacs never operate outside of the business sector! Why on earth would those snooty dudes come sniffin' through here for information?" Quatre finally makes it to Duo's side, and takes his arm, making Duo jump and flick his other arm in such a way that makes it obvious he's got a blade in his sleeve.

"Hell, Kat, I almost skewered you!"

"Duo! The Maguanacs!..." Duo grins and interrupts, perhaps taking Quatre's pause for breath as a question.

"They're some serious guys. Super devoted and highly trained, they're the best in the business, besides us. No one ever sees 'em though, because the only work the high-class business sector. And they don't work with anybody. It's been a couple years since we last saw any sign of them, but for them to be out and about, must mean some serious shit is going down... wish we could get them to share info, but no one knows where there base is, and they wouldn't tell us even if we could find 'em." Quatre gulps in a breath of air and interrupts.

"But Duo, the Maguanacs!..." Once more Quatre is interrupted, this time by a loud shout from the door. Rick the door guard comes running in, face pale, and behind him come twenty strangers in traditional Arabian wardrobes. Their light colored baggy pants and uniform vests stand out, and atop their heads they wear fez hats. All of them are openly carrying sabers and pistols, and the man in the lead is a huge bear of a human with hair that spikes out to each side, and a beard that mimics it in reverse under his chin, both a dark brown.

Quatre's eyes widen as the crowd parts and the warriors pace through, eyes solemn and manner angry. The tall man's eyes are riveted on Howard as he comes to a halt some yards away and bows stiffly, the formality barely an inclination of his head.

"I was told that you have information." Howard blinks, and Quatre echoes him. Twice. He is staring openly, and Duo is giving him weird looks for it.

"I guess it depends on what yer lookin' for, my homedogs. We know lotsa stuff." The big man's eyes narrow slightly, and he opens his mouth to speak, hostility in his stance, just as Quatre finally snaps out of his reverie and stands up.

"Rashid!" The big man turns, jumping slightly as if scalded, and his eyes widen. The rest of the Maguanac soldiers start and stare, some murmuring, others with their mouths open, and a few with tears breaking into their no longer hostile eyes.

"Master Quatre!?!" Duo gapes as the tight formation suddenly breaks up. Quatre, ignoring decorum and protocol, climbs over the table and dashes for the group, which surges forward to surround him. Rashid drops down to his knees, but he still towers over the slight blonde as he enfolds him into his huge arms, dwarfing him even further. The soldiers with him crowd around, shouting and crying and hugging. And pandemonium breaks loose all around them.

Uma-chan: Well... that's it... so sorry for the long wait... hope I still have someone interested in this one. Review, please? gives the pleading uma eyes Tankiwa!


	7. Chapter 6 Guardians of Eden

Uma-chan: Well, I know I probably alienated everyone with my long months of non-posting... so sorry, here's a second chappie! I think I might post one more too, tonight... I hope you all forgive me! Enjoy!

Shouri: We don't own the G-boys! But Uma-chan does own a cat named Wufei! huggles kitty Wufei

**Chapter 6 Guardians of Eden**  
  
"You mean to tell me you had forty of the best demon slayers that have ever existed babysitting you and you still managed to nearly get killed!?" Hilde stares in shock at the boy she had rescued, shifting uncomfortably as the soldiers crowded close around him at the table stare at her menacingly.

"Well... none of them were with me that day! And I really didn't know that I had to worry about those sort of monsters yet..." Quatre smiles sheepishly at Hilde, and sips his tea. Duo is laughing silently, his shoulders shaking. Rashid, no longer quite so menacing now that he is sitting, moves to pour Quatre more tea, and the image he provides sends Duo off again... one doesn't watch a huge bear of a man pouring tea delicately like some medieval hostess without finding some humor in it. Howard scratches the back of his neck.

"Well, that's one less thing we have to worry about at least..." Duo sobers up enough to join the conversation, even though he is still grinning.

"Hey Howie! Maybe they'd be willing to share information." Quatre blinks and then turns slightly to look at Rashid, who has drawn himself up in his seat.

"Of course we are! We failed in our duty to protect Master Quatre, and so owe you a debt to great to repay..." Quatre blushes.

"Great! Well, what I wanna know is... what do you know about vampires?" Rashid draws in a breath and his eyes widen slightly.

"... as far as I know, they're extinct, or very near to it. Our Corps hasn't encountered one in over four generations." Duo goes suddenly and entirely serious.

"Yeah, well, they're on the rebound... we need to know what we're up again, cause apparently they want to put us on the endangered species list..." The Maguanacs stir behind him whispering nervously, and Rashid goes still. He pauses for a minute.

"Auda!" One of the Maguanac soldiers rises and comes up on his side.

"Yeah, boss?" "Tell them about vampires." Auda nods, then starts reciting a litany of information, almost as if he is being tested on something he learned by rote.

"Vampires only vaguely resemble the creatures that modern myths paint them as. They can walk in sunlight, but only the very ancient ones can do it. They are not afraid of garlic or holy symbols, but like most dark creatures, a holy symbol worn by someone with great faith will glow and the light itself will harm them. Holy water will only affect them if thrown by the hands of a priest, and it only stuns them. It is more effective to use other means of extermination. They are not immortal, though they live long enough to seem so, and they are far from infallible, it just takes a lot more to kill them. Removing the head will effectively destroy them, or completely removing their hearts. They are allergic to silver, so weapons made of a silver alloy will be more effective. Also, being bitten by a vampire does not automatically turn the victim. The process is much more complicated than that. It also requires that the victim be exposed to infected blood from the assailant or another vampire. The victim must also be strong enough, physically and spiritually, to survive the attack, but not strong enough to fight off the disease... there has only been one such recorded case, but the victim went insane with the pain and committed suicide... the vampires themselves have several special talents that make them both unique and very dangerous. Their gaze can hypnotize their weaker victims, and they can create a fog to surround themselves and confuse their enemies. The stronger ones can also discorporate, though they usually have to be several hundred years old before they can master that talent. When facing a vampire, never look into its eyes... they may look totally normal, but that is a projection created by their mental powers." His stance changes, and his face loses the concentrating look it had.

"That's all I ever learned." Rashid nods.

"As I said before, we have not encountered anything vampiric in nature, other than soul-feeders and life-force draining demons... actual blood-drinkers seemed to have gone out of this world entirely..." Howard sighs and rubs at the back of his head again.

"Well, if that's accurate, which I'm sure it is, then you just helped us out a bit... at least we won't spend funds buying up crosses and garlic..." Duo snorts, and his hand unconsciously rises to finger the silver cross that dangles around his neck.

"It also tells us how they got past the wards. All they had to do was send in one of them to pull down the spells from the inside. They wouldn't even have to alert the compound by pulling down the whole thing, just open up a hole in the barricade big enough for them to bring in others." Quatre frowns slightly.

"What do you mean, Kid? You never did get around to telling us what you were doing earlier..." Duo shifts in his seat and puts his feet up on the table. He leans back and looks at the ceiling.

"Kat chatted up a couple of the resident demonlings. Turns out that our ward walls aren't as solid as we always thought, 'cause the little ones come and go through tiny gaps. We never notice 'em 'cause they're too small for anything we considered a threat to fit through, but if a vamp can turn all misty, they can slide through a bit at a time." At the mention of the small creatures, Hilde narrows her eyes and casts about, but evidently doesn't catch sight of the few who are in the room. Rashid rather pointedly keeps his gaze averted from the turned down collar of Quatre's shirt, and several of the Maguanacs' eyes flicker briefly to Duo's right sleeve, where his little bat demon has migrated, still clinging determinedly to his clothing and arm. Howard strokes his beard, though whether in discomfort or thought is unknown. Rashid looks slightly uncertain, and his eyes flicker briefly to Quatre.

"... I'm not sure if you care for the idea, but if you're certain that what you're dealing with is vampires, then I think we should offer our assistance. Our territory borders yours, and a threat to you will not long remain exclusively your problem. I would rather we coordinate our efforts now, rather than be scrambling for our positions later..." Duo looks at him with violet eyes gone sharp and hard like chips of quartz.

"You might wanna hear the whole story before you make any offers, buddy. I can see where your coming from, but you guys have never worked outside your jurisdiction, at least not in my lifetime." Rashid just looks at him with cold assurance in his gaze.

"Vampires are one of the few creatures our Corps was specifically created to combat." Duo blinks.

"What exactly do you guys do anyway? All we know is you are very highly trained, and that your cell is always small. You never stay in one place very long..." Rashid looks at Quatre, who blinks at him.

"I don't think it will hurt anything to tell him, Rashid... I would certainly like to know myself why my personal guard consists entirely of some sort of elite monster killers..." Rashid nods resignedly.

"The Maguanac Corps was created centuries ago. Our ancestors were the original members, and each one of us has been born and raised to fill our sires place. Our purpose has always been to guard the members of a certain bloodline. Our cell travels because we do not defend a specific area, but specific people. Recently, however, our charges have dwindled. During my father's term as leader, there were several accidents that led to the demise of a great number of our charges, so many that by the time I was called upon to take his place, only three remained. Two died of old age over twenty years ago...Master Quatre is the last of the line, since his mother died in childbirth, and so we have to protect him at all costs..." Quatre looks at him in puzzled contemplation.

"Why my family? And what do vampires have to do with all this?" Rashid looks at him with eyes that look both sad and determined.

"We're not exactly sure... we were taught that all sorts of demons with any kind of vampiric tendencies were never to be allowed any contact with members of your family." Duo leans forward.

"But that doesn't explain why you've spent centuries guarding a single family." Rashid looks at him.

"... it's hard to explain. For some reason, we just do. I never wanted to take on my father's responsibility, I thought the legend was ridiculous and superstition only... then, on my thirteenth birthday, my father brought me to meet someone... our young Master's grandfather to be exact, and something just clicked. Seeing him and speaking with him made something inside of me... different... and after... I don't know if the story is true, but I never doubted that I would take my father's place..." behind him, many of the other Maguanacs are nodding agreement, and a few younger ones are looking at Quatre with adoring eyes. Quatre wriggles a little in his seat, uncomfortable.

"What exactly is the story, Rashid?" the big man bows his head and the fingers of his right hand begin ghosting across the palm of his left.

"They say that the Arabian sands were once the purest place on Earth... that the dunes our people thrive upon were once a lush garden, vast and awesome... and that mankind was born in that place, and so were demons. For all things evil were freed and given life when mankind fell from favor... and the garden shriveled and died, but the beauty remained, and it shines golden and silver with the sun and the moon, and in the lives of the people whose hearts dance with the winds and the sand. The Maguanacs were created centuries ago. Their only task is to protect... you see, the garden had a guardian, and when the garden died, he was trapped on Earth, and it is his grace and nobility that keeps the beauty in the land that should be ugly in its barrenness. We were created when his strength failed... he was too strong for the demons to destroy and to weak to continue on in his duties, so he failed, and he fell... the stories say that it is the saddest thing possible when an angel falls, and that the sorrow gifted on those who see it is so strong that it lives forever in their blood and souls. For the guardian was a great being, the angel Amathepha, and all told four score and one were there to witness his descent. But only one was there to catch him as his crumpled form came to rest in the shimmering sands. The others watched unmoving as the one knelt with the shining being, broken and frail, but beautiful. All saw as his trembling wings came up to shield them both from the sun as it turned black in that instant. On my thirteenth birthday, I dreamed of Amathepha's fall. In my mind, I saw his shattered wings and haggard face... and I saw his glow as it covered all and he died. But even after he faded, his glow remained... and he rose... he who had caught Amathepha and cradled him while he faded... he who had sheltered close against him beneath his failing wings... and he glowed with Amathepha's light and as he shone, Amathepha spoke to those gathered one last time from a human throat, and he said 'Even the purest strength is tempered by weakness... for you who live the lives of borrowed guilt, time flows long and swift, but for those for whom your lives are but an instant, time stands still. The higher worlds' have forsaken you, and without their light, your kind will fail. I cannot stand for you any longer, goodness in this world is failing and so is my power... but I cannot simply let your species fall, for in you I see the potential for even greater good than I can accomplish... I can do no more for you, it is your duty to take this gift I have given to you and cherish it...' and then the glow faded, and all that was left was one changed almost beyond recognition. His eyes were palest blue, the color of the crystal water and the flawless sky, and his hair was flaxen as sunlight woven into fine silk thread, for he had taken on the likeness of Amathepha, and his nobility, and his bloodline would forever hold that spark. The Maguanac Corps formed that day, to guard the last pure line of Amathepha's children..." Duo stares, not sure whether to laugh or not. Howard looks stunned. The silence grows. Then Duo laughs.

"Well Kat, I guess that explains that thing you can do!" He waves his hand in Quatre's direction, and the gentle blonde relaxes and smiles back. Rashid is still calmly stroking his fingers across the scar-like shape of wings on his palm. But in Duo's mind, his thoughts batter themselves against the inside of his head.

... he's supposed to be the child of an angel?! I know that demons are real, but angels!?!

He looks at Quatre across the table, and again the soft colors of his skin and hair wash over his sight from a canvas of dismal gray... but now his slight frame is surrounded strongly by a soft, soothing blue nimbus of life energy, and Duo's eyes widen as the vibrant aura suddenly swells and rises high above him, forming a misty paragon of a set of wings...

... okay, I guess I can believe that Quatre is... but... if angels are real, then that means that maybe God... And Duo's violet eyes widen and his fist clenches around his cross...

Shouri: Arigatou! We hope you like! snuggles up with Uma-chan on the couch Review please? And tell us what you like and don't like? Tankiwa! giggles

Uma-chan: sighs Sorry. I had to give her sugar to get her to stay awake long enough to finish this chapter... night!


	8. Interlude Forgotten Grace

Shouri: Here ya go, here ya go! Quatre's Interlude!

**Interlude: Forgotten Grace**

"Make sure everyone gets out! Rashid!"

"Yes captain?" huge, bearish Rashid appears amidst the fleeing civilians, an island of immovable flesh. The gray-haired man before him scowls.

"Where..." A scream rends the air, and both men whirl, their faces a mask of horror.

"Ms. Katrina!" They call in unison, and both take off at a dead run, racing down the nearly empty hall. Rashid whips out a pair of pistols, but despite his larger size and more spry age, the captain is still drawing ahead, his saber gripped and ready to be drawn.

The huge, ornate doors at the end of the hall fly open, and death stench seems to explode outwards from it upon a wind of foul voices. The malevolent darkness throbs and ebbs as a shining glow of teal flickers weakly, and Rashid howls in anger as he reaches he door, shooting as soon as he has a clear shot, each shining bullet flying true.

Against the back wall, backed into a corner, is a beautiful woman with shining gilt hair and flashing azure eyes, her skin pale and her fine dress sooty, and her stomach swelling huge with unborn child. Her frantic eyes reach out to them as the glow around her dims once more, and she shields her distended belly with her folded arms.

Menacing and foul, nearly a dozen misshapen creatures whirl to face the new threat only to be gunned down, heads and limbs flying from the furious blade of the captain. Katrina lashes out with one out flung arm, throwing a glowing whip of pure energy to dash away one of her remaining assailants, but even as it flies another takes its place, and leaps upon her with rending claws. Her agonized scream blends with a tear-filled cry of rage from the captain, and a desolate wail from Rashid as he runs out of ammunition, yet still wades forward, crushing demons with his bare arms in his desperate attempts to reach her.

The captain arrives just in time to thrust himself between the lady and the monster's deadly strike, shielding her bloody form with his own body. Rashid howls even more fiercely and his swings turn wildly violent, flinging some of the demons through the walls with the force of his grief and anger.

There are voices in the hall, shouts as reinforcements arrive, but they reach the hall only to see the huge bear of a man kneeling beside the their mistress, her weak hands clasped in one of his while the other tries to stem the flow of blood.

"Katrina!" Mr. Winner's voice is anguished as he leaps forward towards his wife. She chokes and shudders, but her blue eyes are still crystal clear.

"T-the bab-e... ple-ase, don't... l-let him d-die... d-do it now, it's t-too late for..." suddenly, her weak voice goes silent and her body goes lax. Her husband howls with grief. Rashid lets out a heartbroken sob, tears spilling down his face, but just as suddenly as he fell into despair, he straightens. Eyes still blurred with tears, he reaches out with a steady hand and takes up the captain's saber.

One careful cut, and a horrified shout later, his gentle hands slowly emerge from the wet caverns of what used to be his mistress' stomach, holding a tiny bundle cradled in his huge hands. His master snarls.

"It's too late, they're both dead!" Rashid flinches, but still he brings the infant to his face. Covered in blood and still, he blinks hard to clear his eyes, hoping against hope for some sign of life. And amazingly, those tiny eyes open, clear and shining just like his mother's, and pin upon with uncanny swiftness.

"...hello little one..." He murmurs almost silently, and then cradles the tiny boy to his chest, bowing his head down. All around him, the hall erupts into shouts grieved celebration and shocked hope.

Uma-chan: Eh... Short and sweet... I hope. Again I don't own GW. Please review. Tankiwa!

Shouri: Ja ne!


	9. Chapter 7 By Any Means Neccessary

_Shouri-chan: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really didn't do it on purpose! My computer crashed, and so I couldn't use Compy, and... oh it's too complicated! I'm so sorry it took this long! Gomen-nasai! Please forgive me!_

_If anyone's still with me... I'm really trying! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially cry, 'gamer3, and Zmaj, who I hope are still reading, and whom I hope not to disappoint, since they were my first three reviewers ever! Oh, and to answer the questions... all the G-boys are going to be in this, and most of the rest of the cast as well. There will be pairings, but if no one deems fit to throw any suggestions my way for considerations, I'm gonna just go with my favorite pairings and leave it at that. OH! And Quatre's not really an angel... at least not technically. He's merely the embodiment of the world's kindness and the fallen angel's will to protect, kinda like an amplifier for all good things in the world which keeps humankind from falling any farther than it did when Adam and Eve tasted of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. So... I hope everyone likes it..._

**Chapter 7: By Any Means Neccessary**

"... so what you're suggesting is we use these little demons to find and plug all the holes? How the hell are we supposed to do that!?" Quatre blinks.

"I could try asking them to do it..." Rashid interrupts.

"With all due respect, Master Quatre, there is no way to guarantee that they would do as you asked... if I may make a suggestion... you might want to hire a professional." Duo blinks.

"A professional Beastmaster. We have employed them successfully in the past, and could recommend you to several good ones." Rashid looks at Howard expectantly, as Duo plays with the end of his braid. In fact, he looks a little surprised when it's Duo who answers.

"I've never heard of 'em. What exactly are they?" Rashid switches his attention to the braided teen.

"They hold power over all lesser creatures, and the more powerful ones can control creatures such as weres and lesser demons. In fact, there happens to be a caravan cell in the area that had a very good Beastmaster with them the last time they came through. They travel as a circus..." Duo fiddles with his braid a bit more, before he sighs.

"And you really think one of these Beastmasters will be able to help us here? What's this gonna cost us?" Auda grins and leaps against one of his comrades to use his shoulder as a leaning place.

"That's the great part! They usually take shelter or a meal, or small favors... I guess they want to encourage people to trust them." Duo eyes him sharply.

"So people don't normally trust them?"

"Only because they can control weres." Duo nods slightly in acceptance.

"So, they're with the circus that came in last week?" Rashid nods as Howard lets out a sigh.

"Alright, we'll scout it out. Kid, I want you to take backup this time, ya hear?" Duo waves dismissively, then stands and stretches with a yawn.

"Yea, yea Howie, I hear ya... you want me to baby-sit..." Howard tries to look stern over the rims of his sunglasses, and it comes off looking ridiculous.

"I mean it, Duo!" Duo looks bored as he nods again.

"I know! Jeez, you worry too much..." Rashid watches as Duo saunters off.

"Are you sure you want to send him?" Howard looks at Rashid in surprise.

"Of course. Who else would I send? He's my best agent... I wouldn't trust this case to anyone other than Shinigami himself..." Rashid chokes on his coffee and one of the men sitting with Auda gasps out.

"_He's **Shinigami?!**_" Howard nods, grinning in a pleased fashion at startling them. Auda smacks himself on the forehead.

"Of Course! Duo Maxwell, the Maxwell's Demon! I should have known! How many guys named Duo run around this town... I never thought he'd seem so young, though..." Howard gulps down the rest of his drink and stands.

"Yeah, well... never judge a book by its cover my dogs! You should know that, considering you all run around the Kat-man!" Rashid regains his composure.

"Yes... well... do you want any advice on his briefing?" Howard looks at him over his shoulder.

"The Kid briefs himself! Though some ideas on how to tempt these Beastmasters if we decide we want 'em would be appreciated..." Rashid stands and follows him. Howard begins to make a set of round that seems to be taking him through all the base's major areas.

"The first thing you're going to have to worry about is that the circus' Ringmaster is going to want a gift for lending you his 'performers'. Nothing too big, we only had to deal with him twice, and he let us have his best Beastmaster for a case of fine cigars and some good wine. The Beastmaster, he did the job for room and board, and the right to sweep our territory and pull out any weres that wouldn't pose any threats to humans..."

"So you're saying that if we let them go through our neighborhood clearing out the harmless weres, they'll do the job? What the hell are they, some sort of bloody lycanthrope equal rights movement?!"

"No, but according to our information, they have an affinity for lycanthropes, though we're not sure why... they hate it when a were is killed simply because they live near a cell, because cells often don't bother to differentiate between rogue and stable weres." Howard snort.

"Hell, are you sure there ain't no catch? 'Cause that sounds almost too good to be true... so far as I know, we haven't hit any weres that weren't attacking first, and the way the Kid is, he's likely to start collecting a few Beastmasters in his friendly files... everyone knows he's death on killing the harmless ones. I mean, the base is overrun, and he's perfectly happy with it!" Rashid blinks.

"So you have already realized that you are home to a rather large nest of demi-demons? It doesn't seem to bother you as much as I thought it would." Howard snorts.

"Nah, Duo says they ain't hurting nothing, and I can't even see 'em most of the time. You guys noticed right quick I see?"

"Yes... at first we were of two minds, since Master Quatre seems to collect them as well, so we're used to it, but none of yours look anything like the ones that gather around him..." Howard pauses to yell at one of the Sweepers practicing blade work for being sloppy with his guard.

"Yea, well... there are lots a different kinds. Now, I don't think we got any wine or cigars on hand... do you think that this Ringmaster might go for some..."

_That's it for Chapter 7! I'm gonna update 8 next as fast as possible. Any suggestions on a better name for this chapter? I drew a total blank and threw in filler... Just so you guys know, I've gotten up to chapter 22 written, but I've been suffering concentration problems, so I'm not writing as fast as usual... I need my meds adjusted. Anyway, I just wanted to give you guys the option of having them all posted at once as fast as I can manage, or spread out so that the wait between 22 and 23 isn't an eternity. If anyone is still reading this, please review! Tankiwa! Ja!_


	10. Chapter 8 To Trust, Mayhap to Live Once

Shouri-chan: Hey guys, here's 8! Enter Trowa! I'm gonna try to get Trowa's Interlude and 9 up quick too. I'm looking for another GW author/fan to maybe do some beta-reading and collaborations... with my concentration as bas as it has been these past few weeks, my writing is seriously being dragged down, and another person is usually just the thing to goad me on, but none of my friends are GW fans... Yugioh and stuff.... Anywho, I hope you like! Ja ne!

Chapter 8 _To Trust, Mayhap to Live Once More..._

The circus big top looms. Duo hitches his trench coat tighter around him. Behind him, failing miserably at looking inconspicuous are about ten unhappy Maguanacs, surrounding a re-clothed Quatre. The little blonde now sports a thick coat and a pair of nondescript jeans, as well as Duo's battered black cap to cover his bright hair. Duo had only allowed him to come after he had donned the concealing article and promised to stay back and quiet.

On Duo's left is a man in his late twenties wearing a large loose windbreaker and army boots. On his right is a rather smug Hilde. Duo makes a mental face, while keeping up his normal façade. His grin is huge and insane, and he slinks like a starving wolf that is going after a fat calf. His eyes dart about him sharply, searching the shadows and turns.

People move around them in a sparse stream, as they approach the opening at the front of the tent. A burly man carrying several crates passes nearby, and pauses to look at them. He feels dangerous to Duo, the glitter in his eyes is discomfiting, and about ten feet back, Quatre is leaning away from him. Duo grins at him with menace in the expression.

"We're looking for the Ringmaster." The man narrows his eyes, and then jerks his head towards the big top.

"He's in there... you might want to wait a bit though, he's working with a couple of the performers." Duo nods equitably, but shoves aside the tent flap and enters anyway, his 'team' staying close behind him. Inside, the tent is dark, but for the light illuminating a single ring in the center where a man in a red coat is standing, hands on his hips, and watching with a critical air as a beautiful brunette girl throws knives with rapid precision at a number of targets. Duo narrows his eyes.

The girl flickers faintly into color for a moment, but fades back into grays again for several seconds before flaring weakly back into pale peaches, purples, yellows and browns. He only breaks out of his reverie when the dark cage beside him draws his attention. The lion within snarls at him, and he steps to the side quickly, looking at the beast in confusion. The thing is just a lion, but it paces and rages, eyes locked on him and his team with murderous desire. Quatre presses his hand to his chest.

"Duo, this place hurts... it's full of pain and intense sorrow..." Duo looks at him in surprise, and smiles reassuringly.

"Don't worry Kat... We'll take care of business and get out of here as quick as possible... Hilde, stay by the exit..." He turns and his eyes narrow as they take in the Ringmaster.

"I don't like it here much myself..." he mutters, and then he slips back into his mask, face a hard, scary and movements deadly dangerous.

"YO!" The man with his dark curly hair and beard turns, and Duo sees a flicker of light in his eyes that adds to his unease. The girl turns, and her pale eyes are broken, sad and fearful. She looks at him with an accusing stare, hands gripping the blades still left in her hand. The Ringmaster takes him in with a haughty air.

"May I help you?" Duo comes to a stop in front of him, and looks up at him with sure eyes and a steady gaze.

"We're looking to hire a Beastmaster, and I was told you were the one to see." The man narrows eyes that glimmer in that dark way.

"Of course! I'm sure we can come to an agreement that will suit us both... after all, they are here to serve, but of course, I can't simply let them off at a moment's notice. They are my star performers, as you must know." Duo smiles wider.

"Oh, no doubt. And we have bought you a few trinkets to help make up for the inconvenience." Duo motions with one hand, and the man reaches into hi windbreaker and pulls out a small case. With a flick, the lid flips open, displaying several flashy pieces of jewelry, all of moderate value and with a lot of show, just the sort of thing to appeal to a man who works with performers. The Ringmaster smiles in a vaguely pleased expression, and motions behind him to the girl.

"Catherine! You have a job!" Duo looks at her critically, noting the very faint mists of an aura around her. Rashid, close at his back, makes a sound in his throat and leans over to whisper into Duo's ear.

"That is not the Beastmaster we normally contract. Something is off..." Duo nods reassuringly, as the Ringmaster addresses Catherine in a forceful whisper. The girl nods meekly, eyes downcast. Satisfied, he turns back to them.

"You have them for a week. In exchange, I want them to bring back five lycanthropes at least. I want an additional were for each day over a week you use them. Does that seem fair?" Duo, uneasy, bites his tongue.

"I want two weeks, and they can clear all the stable weres out of our territory if they're so inclined." The Ringmaster frowns slightly.

"At least seven, and you have two weeks. Same terms for additional days." Duo nods.

"Fine." The Ringmaster smiles and it has a faintly wicked tinge to it.

"Good. Catherine, dress and get Trowa." The girl nods and freezes, until the Ringmaster disappears out of sight. Her eyes rise to take in the group once more, and there is terror and loathing in her eyes. Quatre makes a noise in his throat, but stays silent as she turns.

"I will be a moment..." Duo frowns slightly, his eyebrows furrowing as she walks away towards the portion of the tent partitioned off for the performers and equipment. He notices her pause for a moment by a cage near the curtain, and kneel. Her arms go through the bars, and a shadow detaches itself from the back. The black shape stands out clearly to Duo's sight, a huge lithe shape with silent feet and a snaky tail. He blinks as the big panther presses a deadly muzzle into her hands and leans its forehead against the bars for her to press her face against. She murmurs something, then rises and hurries into the back. Quatre gasps and grips his shirt over his heart harder.

"Duo..." Duo starts to turn, when the black cat turns and looks straight at them, and his eyes widen as it locks gazes with him, its brilliant green eyes glowing vibrantly against its black fur. He can't look away from the bright intelligent gaze, not until the sad emerald eyes turn from him and lock on the door where Catherine went. Duo gulps.

"Shit... that's a _were!_ What the hell is a werepanther doing locked in a cage?!" Quatre grips his shoulder.

"Duo! He... I ..." he gasps, trying to get out what he feels.

"Duo, we can't leave him in there... he's..." Duo's eyes narrow.

"Don't worry Kat... I understand... this place is rather low on my lists right now..." He glares at Rashid, who is looking both disgusted and bashfully embarrassed.

"It was not like this the last time we used this contact..." Just then, Catherine reappears. She is carrying a small bag, and is dressed in jeans and a tan sleeved shirt. She keeps her eyes averted from them as she sets the bag to one side and goes over to the cage. Then she unlocks it, and Duo jerks with an instinctual tension. He clears his throat.

"It's gonna be hard to walk around the city with a panther on a leash..." Catherine looks at him as she lifts her bag, the black cat padding by her side towards them.

"I won't go without him. Trowa goes with me everywhere." Duo sighs, and shifts uneasily. Quatre suddenly takes a step forward and kneels, holding out his hand to the big cat that is now on an eye level with him.

"Hello, Trowa. My name is Quatre." Duo groans.

"Fine!" Duo growls, and rolling his eyes, he starts shucking out of his coat. Catherine's eyes go wide as his actions reveal several blades and a gun. Her hand grips into Trowa's fur, and he eyes Duo with resigned jade eyes, though his gaze flickers briefly to Quatre's smiling face. When Duo doesn't make a move to dispatch him, his tense muscles relax almost imperceptibly. Duo removes all of his visible weapons and hands them to the guy with the windbreaker, who quickly tucks them away.

With one more wary glance at Duo as he tugs his shirt out a little to hide the grip of his gun, Trowa suddenly rolls his shoulders, dislodging Catherine's grip and paces forward to nose softly at Quatre's extended hand. Rashid and the Maguanacs tense, and Catherine hisses out a disbelieving '_Trowa!...'_ but Quatre just smiles brilliantly and rubs his hands lightly along the sides of Trowa's cheeks as the big cat purrs menacingly. Duo barely flicks a look at the spectacle before he steps forward. Catherine watches him tensely, and Trowa looks up, his muscles going tense and his purr stops. He jerks badly, nearly toppling Quatre as Duo throws the coat over him.

"There! Now ditch the fur for a while, and let's get out of here before I change my mind and make a few fireworks!" Catherine gasps and her hand goes to her mouth, and Trowa's bright eyes widen. He steps back slightly, crouching, his tail twitching in agitation. Quatre frowns and rubs his chest.

"Don't worry. We aren't going to hurt you. We just want your help..." Quatre holds a hand out entreatingly. Trowa looks at him with a bland look that could pass for anything on a cat's face, then takes another step back, and relaxes, bowing his head. The wiry muscles bunch and with a surge of warm air that smells faintly of pine, the black fur melts away, and the form shrinks.

In an instant, the big cat melts into a smaller figure, as wiry as before, but lanky and lean as he crouches on the floor, head bowed and hands gripping the edges of coat. His head comes up, and his honey brown hair sweeps up. Duo tilts his head at the strange style, short and clean along the sides and back, but grown out on the top and in the front till his bangs hang out in front of him, obscuring one vibrant green eye as he catches Duo's gaze.

With feline grace, he rises and the cloak swishes around his pale shins as he holds it loosely closed around him. Bruises mar his lightly tanned skin, and his well-muscled chest is crisscrossed with light cuts and livid marks ranging from the purple of new wounds to the yellows and greens of old damage. He tenses slightly, and shifts a few times, as if testing his balance. Catherine suddenly steps protectively in front of him.

"How did you know he was a were?!" Behind her, Trowa shifts again, and moves, putting his arms through the sleeves, and starting to button the coat. Duo blinks.

"Hell, lady, I know a were when I see one. I just don't normally get to see 'em this close unless they're dead, or they're rogue and going for my throat." Quatre smiles at Trowa. The were blinks, face impassive. Catherine flinches. Somewhere behind him, Duo can hear Hilde cursing. Rashid shifts his stance, watching in discomfort as Quatre continues to stand too close to Trowa.

Duo sighs, and sweeps the darkness once more with his violet gaze, still troubled by the atmosphere, and feeling his trigger finger twitch every time someone moves. Rashid nods slightly to Catherine.

"I am Rashid. I would like to know what happened to Horace..." Catherine blinks at him.

"He went out on an assignment about five years ago, right after he brought us Trowa, and he never came back..." Duo blinks at her for this bit of information, but the surroundings are making him very uncomfortable and so he cuts off the rest of the conversation.

"Look, we can all get friendly after we're back at the base! Now, no more chitchat, let's get going!" The Maguanacs look relieved, and once more form up around Quatre. However, Hilde and the other Sweeper drop back to the rear. Duo doesn't even acknowledge the look of disgust that Hilde wears as she gazes at the half-clothed were. Catherine walks tensely with Duo, behind Trowa who is pacing with inhuman grace at Duo's side. Duo eyes him out of the corner of his eye.

"I really hope you have some clothes for him in that bag of yours..." Catherine blinks.

"No... "Duo sighs and looks at the taller boy in exasperation.

"What, were you going to stay all fuzzy the whole time you were working with us?" Trowa pauses, then turns his head and looks at Duo.

"Yes..." His voice is deep and velvety, but it comes out in a whisper that is vaguely hoarse. Done, he turns and continues walking, leaving Duo to drop back beside Catherine.

"Is he always this silent? Man, I think I'd go insane locked up in a room with him! I don't know about you, but I need my conversation!" Catherine doesn't even look at Duo, just watches Trowa's bare feet as he pads in front of them.

"... I wouldn't really know... that is the first time I have heard him speak in over a year... the Ringmaster doesn't like him to transform... that's why he doesn't have any clothes..." Duo blinks and his eyes dart back to the straight back in front of him. He shivers as he imagines being trapped in an animal's form for over a year, and ice coils in his belly.

"How long have you been with the circus?" Catherine blinks and looks at him finally.

"I've been there all my life. Trowa didn't show up until five years ago, and even though he was always in panther form, I kind of took him in as a little brother... I don't really know why I'm telling you all this..." Duo shivers.

_Five years trapped in that cage... I really see why Kat said we couldn't leave him there any longer... _and Duo shivers once more. _Well, if Quatre says we can trust them, I guess we can... but I'm not going to send them back to that hellhole! _Duo smiles in a wicked promise, and then his steps falter and he pauses.

_Just when did I start trusting anyone but myself this much!?! Hell, since when have I started feeling protective of weres? _Duo turns and looks over his shoulder at Quatre.

_... I must be going soft... but, I can't help how I feel... I trust Quatre, and for some reason I want to protect Trowa... this could get into trouble. Hell..._

__

Shouri-Chan: There. How'm I doing? Please review! Heck, make requests, get my brain going! If you jumpstart the darn thing.... hm... I'll write my first gift-fic for you! Tankiwa! Ja!

__


	11. Interlude Betrayal By Fire

Shouri-chan: Here it is, Trowa's Interlude. Er... I don't know how good it is, I always have such a hard time with Trowa! I hope you guys like it at least a little...

__

_Interlude: Betrayal by Fire_

'_Run little were... we hunt you now... you cannot escape...' his terrified gasps echo through the woods as he flees, flees from a place he had believed to be safe, ran from the fire and the monsters in human guise. Behind him, the screams echoed louder, and he can hear his father's feline scream of rage and pain. But even the hissing, malevolent voice in his head doesn't freeze him in terror as it should... his mother is there, radiating pain and a deadly lassitude as she shields his mind from the hunters._

_Slowly the flame-scarred woods fall behind... the smell of smoke and blood fades in his nose... the cries fall silent. Then, and only then, does he collapse against the nearest tree, sobbing. His mother is gone, dead with all certainty. He had felt her spirit flee as the last of her power bled out to save him. His father preceded her, and his sister. He had felt her desperate grief as she threw everything she had into protecting him. And his father would never have let them touch her if he still lived._

"_Betrayed..." His voice is soft and hoarse as his green eyes glitter in the dark like a cat's. He bares his teeth and yowls his grief; screaming and screaming until there is no more air to breath, no more voice to scream with... no more pain to scream for... _

_Emptied of all emotion, dull and echoing inside, the little were curls into the base of the tree, eyes shining dully out into the dark._

_When they find him hours later, he doesn't even respond, just watches them come towards him warily._

"_He's alone..." One shadow in the dark growls._

"_Too young... his pack must be nearby." The second, larger figure comes closer._

"_Cat-type, see? I told you that was a cat-call." Green eyes narrow to slits, and the little child blinks._

_The men aren't his hunters. They smell of the woods and dirt, and unquestionably of wolf, not snakes... they are weres, but not the weres that stalked him._

"_Hey kid, what's your name? Where's your pack?" Three-year-old eyes look up at him without response, far too old to be trapped in such a young face. He doesn't speak, all his voice screamed away. The huge werewolf blinks._

"_Yo kid, don't you have a name?" There is still no response._

"_Well, how'd he get out here?" The second man calls._

"_I have no clue, Ralph... he woulda had to come through the territory controlled by Dekim to make it here... he sure as hell didn't come through our range!" Both men suddenly turn as a hoarse snarl bleeds through their conversation. The child is staring back the way he came, fangs gleaming and eyes glowing, dark fur sprouting across his exposed skin. Both weres blink._

"_You don't think..." Ralph starts, aghast. The bigger were nods._

"_His pack tried to travel through Dekim's territory... damn... alright Kid, you're coming with us...yo, No-name, are you listening?" No-name turns, his fur melting away as he looks at them. Then, without a noise, he nods. Both weres stare down at this tiny serious child, then start off at a slow trot in the opposite direction from whence the newcomer came._

_Nanashi doesn't even look back._

__

Shouri-Chan: How was that? I know it's short but... any longer and I would have had a Trowa melt-down... how come its always the quiet, introspective types that are the hardest to write credibly? Anywho, I hope you liked! Review Please! Tankiwa! Ja!


	12. Chapter 9 Nice Kitty Big Kitty

Shouri-chan: And 9 lives! giggles hysterically cause she's had way too much soda I'll keep this short. Please review, whether you like it or hate it! I like constructive criticism, and I would rather you flame me than someone who it is really going to bother and hurt! Thanks!

**Chapter 9 Nice Kitty... Big Kitty...**

Their arrival at the base made quite a commotion. After all, it's not every day that an operative brings a naked lycanthrope straight into the heart of their home. Nor was it possible to hide that Trowa was a were, for when Rick's daytime counterpart, Sora, met them at the door he had started badly at the silver quarrel of the crossbow she had pointed at him, and had hissed, eyes going catlike and claws growing on his hands and bare feet. After several minutes of trying to keep Sora from pinning him to the door with a bolt, Duo had then had to deal with a skittish were that was even refusing to be soothed by Catherine.

In fact, when she tried, he had snarled at her as well. It was Quatre who had finally approached him and got him calmed into coherency again. Catherine had stared, but remained silent as Duo led them down the hallway and into the mess hall, where Howard and Sally Po greeted them.

"Yo, Duo! I take it things went well? Who are your friends?" Howard smiles at Catherine and she blinks at his friendly overture. Trowa almost cringes when Howard raises his arms to lock his hands behind his head, a reaction noticed by almost everyone. Howard blinks at him, then snorts.

"What'd he do? Leave his shorts at home?" Trowa stares impassively. Howard looks slightly discomfited. Duo laughs.

"Nah, but we need to see if we can find some clothes to fit him..." Duo glares when Trowa looks at him out of the edge of his eye.

"... And no, _fuzzball_, we are _not_ just gonna have you trot around four-footed and furred! I'd like to at least know when you are ignoring me, and we can't have you playing target to a bunch of itchy trigger fingers." Trowa turns forward again and blinks calmly as Sally stares at him. He stares back, eyes still slit-pupiled from his scare earlier, and she gasps, and then averts her gaze. Howard frowns slightly.

"You have a good reason for dragging a were into our base, I take it?" Duo grins, and flips his braid over his shoulder.

"Nah, I just thought you might like to invite him over for dinner!" Howard shakes his head.

"Fine kid... but he's your responsibility! I want you to watch him, at least until the whole base puts him on their 'friendly' lists, 'cause I seriously doubt everyone is gonna be all hunky-dory about sharing space with a 'thrope..." Duo makes a face.

"Aw, Howard! I'm already sharing with Kat!" Howard laughs.

"Yeah, and your room bunks four! Just 'cause you don't like sharing, doesn't mean you can't pull out one of the upper bunks. Deal with it Kid! You brought him! And you! You stay by his side, unless you fancy life as a rug..." Trowa just blinks at the finger waving fearlessly inches from his nose. Duo pouts convincingly, as Sally finally gets over her shock, and smiles at Catherine.

"Hello, I'm Sally Po. I hope you don't mind sharing a room with me... we had to seal up a lot of the unused rooms to cut down on the area we're shielding..." Trowa doesn't respond to this at all, other than a slight widening of his eyes, but Catherine looks at him sharply and Quatre rubs his chest.

"Are you okay with that Trowa?" Quatre reaches out and gently places his hand against Trowa's shoulder. All the tension goes out of him and he turns his head to look Quatre in the eyes over his shoulder.

"Fine..." Catherine looks skeptical, but nods anyway.

"Okay, then Sally you show this lovely young lady around. Duo, I want a report, now!" Duo sighs and follows him towards one of the small rooms off of the mess hall. Unnoticed, or perhaps ignored by the older man, Quatre is walking a step behind him, and Trowa paces in their wake, eyes flickering around him nervously.

Howard enters the dark room first, and stalks over to a desk in the back, upon which a computer is flickering under the only light source, a desk lamp. An empty table lines one wall, beside a single seat. Duo glances at the other two. Quatre smiles slightly, and inches over to the only chair in the room, the metal stool against the wall. Duo slumps against the desk edge, back to the mess as Howard clacks away at the ancient keyboard. Trowa halts in the doorway, and then edges in. When he starts to crouch just inside the door, Duo gives him an odd look. He cringes almost imperceptibly, and Duo looks away, feeling cruel for some reason.

_Man, he must be messed up if he reacts like that... going back and making a few pretty explosions is sounding better and better all the time... I don't care if he is a were, as far as I know, he's stable and hasn't hurt anyone..._ When he looks back, he nearly chokes out a laugh. Quatre is looking both surprised and amused as he watches Trowa out of the corner of his eye.

Trowa is climbing up to crouch on top of the table next to Quatre, looking very much like a frightened cat hiding on top of a bookcase. However, when he settles back onto his heels, the last button on the coat comes undone, as they all have been wont to do throughout their entire trip. Quatre turns aside and blushes as the trench coat falls open again, and Trowa fails to adjust it. Duo averts his eyes as well.

_Yes... well... note to self, find Trowa some pants as soon as possible... before Quatre spontaneously combusts!_ Quatre is so red that he almost seems to be glowing, and Trowa begins giving him looks out of the corner of his eye, before fixing his 'clothing' to cover himself again. Howard turns suddenly, his eyebrows arching over his glasses at the sight that greets him. One teenaged slayer trying not to bust a gut, one trying to invent the brightest shade of human coloring, and one playing kitty-cat on top of his table while being inadequately dressed.

"As soon as we're done here, get him some clothes. Now, since you didn't seem to object to them following us in here, I assume you don't have anything classified to inform me of?" Duo smiles with a little bit of threat in it, and Howard blinks, shifting to face him more fully.

"Sou, I trust Quatre... and I want to ask Mr. Hush-and-Quiet a few things..." Howard raises one eyebrow for Duo to continue.

"Well, we went to Rashid's circus, but the place was seriously whacked... it felt like... oh, I don't know! It was wrong!" Quatre looks up at him, and his hand goes unconsciously to his chest.

"...it felt like deceit... like cold, dead serpents slithering over us and wrapping us up till we choked in their coils..." Duo huffs, and his eyes go wide. Trowa is staring at Quatre with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Sheesh, Kat... yeah, that's exactly what it felt like, only I didn't get it nearly so bad a Quatre did. Anyway, we met with the Ringmaster, and the man is seriously off in the head... it was like nobody was home and we were speaking to the answering machine... or like the thing behind his eyes wasn't a human soul, or even all there. Guy gave me the serious willies... "Trowa shifts uncomfortably.

"...well, then he took the bribe, and I bargained with him... he gave us Catherine and Trowa for two weeks in exchange for us returning 'em with seven weres in tow... the terms feel rotten. I don't think I want to just hand the two of them back to him, either way... and I think he jipped us... I in no way think Catherine is capable of commanding anything to do her will... she has practically nil power." Trowa's face remains unmoved, but his eyes widen further with each word Duo speaks, and he is staring so hard at the braided youth by the end of his speech, that he falls forward onto his hands in his shock. Duo looks him straight in the eyes.

"Anything you want to add, my furry friend?" Trowa opens his mouth, and then snaps it shut and breaks their locked gazes. Taking a deep breath, he looks back at Duo.

"Iie... ano... you're right, Kathy... isn't the Beastmaster..." Duo starts to turn in exasperation, when Trowa's soft even voice calls him to a halt once more.

"... I am..." They all turn to stare at him and he shifts uneasily.

"How is that possible?" Trowa moves as if he is resisting the urge to cower.

"... it just is... ask Kathy..." he looks very unhappy and uncomfortable, and Quatre is making a face. The little blonde finally stands up and moves in front of the were, making Duo meet his eyes. Blue touches violet, and Duo relaxes and turns dismissively.

"Ah, I don't care how it's possible, I'm just glad we don't hafta change our plans!" Howard looks at him oddly, then glances at Quatre, and suddenly seems to go slack in shock as he stares at Duo again. Then a wide, slight grin breaks out on his face and he turns back to his computer screen before speaking again.

"And what about this Ringmaster of yours, eh?" no one looks at Trowa this time, but his voice floats softly out of the darkness.

"... he is dark... something twisted in him... almost as long as I've known him..." Howard looks at Duo.

"So, you don't like him?" Duo grins dangerously.

"No. I don't like him." Quatre looks startled at his tone of voice, and steps back, allowing Trowa to gaze at him with his non-expression marred only by his confused eyes. Howard sighs.

"It's gonna hafta wait Kid... we have bigger fish to worry about right now." Duo smiles.

"Yeah, I know Howard. As long as he stays away." Howard looks at him askance.

"We can't afford another conflict right now... are you really sure you don't wanna just let them go back as expected, and take care of it later?" Duo's gaze turns flinty.

"Nuh-uh. I won't send them back Howard." Trowa seems to realize what Duo is talking about and his muscles tremble as he looks at Duo with incredulous hope in his eyes. Howard sighs and rubs his forehead, waving his other hand in defeat.

"Fine Kid... you win... just get the damn boy dressed!" Duo relaxes and smiles.

"Nothing else Howie?" Howard grins.

"Nope. Now I gotta get some real work done, dontcha know it?" Duo laughs as he pushes away from the desk and struts across the room, hands in his pockets.

"Ne, of course! Filing reports is such crucial work!" Howard curses good-naturedly after him as he disappears into the well-lit mess hall with a blushing Quatre and Trowa with his coat flapping widely behind him. Trowa looks rather flustered in his blank faced way, but Quatre, not to mention many others, are trying their hardest not to look at his lanky body. Duo turns and stares at him straight on, getting another good look at the damage running rampant over the were's body. Unseen before, deep tracks are gouged down the entire circumference of his legs, and a definite pattern of dark harness bruises encircles his torso, edged in some places by deep punctures, as if from metal hooks. Trowa looks back, unflinching.

"Why?" Duo blinks at the weary, suspicious question, and shrugs.

"I don't know... because it's the right thing? I just don't like seeing anyone suffer, and no one deserves to be locked up like a slave. You haven't done anything to deserve otherwise, so I guess I don't think you should be anything other than free." Trowa's eyes widen.

"... you're... setting me free?..." He looks stunned and very incredulous.

"Huh? Of course, what did you think I was doing?" Trowa stares blankly a minute. He doesn't seem to have heard the shorter boy, so Duo sighs and turns to continue his trip down the corridors to his quarters. Unnoticed, Quatre follows close on his heels, smiling genuinely. After a few seconds of frozen shock, Trowa blinks and looks after the other two with his green eyes sparkling. Barely noticeable, a smile quirks his lips and his shoulders seem to lift.

"..._free..._" And with that, he starts after them with a rolling gait, eyes still twinkling joyously. _For some reason, I get the feeling that those two will be able to do it... to free me from the Ringmaster... I just can't believe they're willing to... to just set me free, just like that... I almost feel like I'm dreaming... but this, the feel, the smells, it's all too real to be a dream! They're going to set me free... they have!... I'm free! I'm finally free... _and the trio disappears into the twisted maze of the base, leaving a number of confused and disturbed Sweeper agents in their wake.

Shouri-chan: I still need help with chapter names! I've got writer's block when it comes to the stupid names! calms down So Quatre and Duo got a cat together... snickers just kidding! I was feeling some major 3X4 vibes when I wrote this I think, cause there's UST up the wazoo between those two... though I don't know if they'll end up a pair yet, not even in chapter 22! Review please! Tankiwa! Ja!


	13. Chapter 10 Dreaming Free

Shouri: Hey guys, got chapter 10 descrambled faster than I thought I would, so I figured why not put it up! I really hope I get some reviews and feedback... I mean, I've been rereading what I wrote, and I'm seeing _way_ more **UST** between Trowa and Quatre than I remember putting there! And I know I like the story, but I'm biased, and it would make me feel good to know if anyone else is enjoying it. Well, here it goes. Not much action in this one... just a shower and a snack... and I did not mean it like _that_, so get those echi thoughts out of your heads! There's quite a bit of nudity, but nothing that could scar a person for life... yet... Ah, just read the darn thing already!

**Chapter 10 Dreaming Free**

"So, Trowa... er... how are we supposed to find clothes to fit you dude?! Argh! You're like super skinny and extra long!" Duo digs in frustration through the coveralls in the lockers while Quatre locks himself away in one of the shower stalls and refuses to come out, drowning his blushes in hot water. Trowa had shucked out of the trench coat as soon as Duo had brought them into the shower room. Now the were is standing naked in the middle of the floor, watching Duo's braid swing as he dumps piles of clothes to the ground.

"Too small... to short... to big... Argh! Here, this will have to do... it's gonna swim on you, but you won't fit in anything smaller!" Duo turns and finds himself face-to-face with a naked, and still dry, Trowa.

"Uh, okay, Tro... you can get in the shower now..." Trowa blinks.

"I am not dirty... I'm a cat." Duo makes a face.

"I don't care if you're a cat, you still smell like a circus cage to me!" Trowa blinks.

"I do?" He looks slightly skeptical.

"You do, now get in there!" Duo herds the bemused were into a shower stall, and hangs the coverall over the door. Trowa blinks, then turns and turns on the water and begins washing. Duo blushes at his total lack of modesty and closes the door.

"Jeez... what did I do to deserve this?" Even with the huge head start, Duo still manages to finish his shower before Quatre, but not before Trowa. The were looks slightly less emotionless and slightly more lost in the coveralls, and Duo suspects that Quatre's overly long shower is an attempt to avoid seeing the panther without his clothes on again.

"Hm... I think we can find you a belt or something to hold that up..." Quatre appears out of the shower, fully dressed and hair combed. Trowa shrugs indifferently.

"It's fine." Trowa looks at Duo intensely, and Duo fidgets with the end of his damp braid.

"Yeah, well... you guys wanna tour, or should we go raid the mess hall?" Trowa gets a predatory glare to his gaze, and he looks sharply at Duo. Quatre adjusts the cuffs of one sleeve.

"I think we should eat, Duo." Duo nods his agreement and turns to lead the way back out, just as a dark shadow arrows out of a vent and attaches itself to the front of his shirt.

"Whoa, batty-dude! I didn't even notice you leave... I guess that's all to the good though. I already have second thoughts about having you in my shirt, I don't wanna think about trying to shower with you!" Quatre laughs. Trowa looks at him sharply.

"You have a Batruz..." Duo blinks and shrugs.

"If that's what you call him..." Trowa blinks.

"Why do you need a Beastmaster if you're bonded to a Batruz?" Duo looks confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Quatre looks surprised.

"I think I know... they're not bonded, at least not how I see it..." Sandrock peeps out of Quatre's pocket. Trowa blinks again.

"Then why don't you command them? I don't recognize the species, but that is sentient and telepathic, and it is bonded to you..." Quatre blushes.

"I can't communicate with him very well... I'm not telepathic... besides, none of the ones we need to contact are of a type to listen to me." Trowa contemplates this with his sharp green eyes shining.

"Fine." He looks at Sandrock and hums softly as the little thing chirps. Then he looks at Duo's little demon and snorts.

"What?" Duo looks at Trowa indignantly, as his little passenger makes a chortling noise and scrambles around his body to cling to his braid. Duo spins, trying to catch him.

"What did he say to you?!" Trowa laughs silently, making Quatre and Duo look at him.

"Not much... he said you talk too much." Duo blinks.

"Is that all?! Sheesh, everyone knows that!" and he grins saucily, turning, wet braid swinging. With an energetic bounce, he leads them down the hallways and back up the levels to the mess hall, where the evening meal is well underway.

Instinctively, Quatre drops back on Duo's right, and Trowa paces nervously, even with him on Duo's left, eyes scanning the crowd of strangers.

"Howard! Did you greedy-guts save any for us?" Howard looks up and grins.

"Nope!" He gestures at the bench across from him, and several agents slide down to give them room. Trowa twitches a bit, and somehow, during the shuffle for the vacated and seats, Quatre and Duo manage to maneuver so that he is sitting between the two of them. A couple of the agents eye the trio curiously, half disbelieving as their eyes sweep the were. He looks too human and tame to be a were, which isn't surprising, since they have only ever encountered lycanthropes who have gone mad and are slaughtering all living things they encounter.

Three plates are passed down, and then platters begin making their rounds. Duo instinctively snatches a cut of meat off of one platter as soon as it's in his reach, and transfers it with alacrity to Trowa's plate. The were, so dignified and impassive a second before, watches him wide-eyed in a sort of bewildered disbelief, but only for the briefest moment. Then he attacks the meat. Literally.

Several people wince as his suddenly beast-like teeth tear into the cut, gripped delicately in his hands. Growling so softly that it could be called a purr, he gulps down several more bites while Duo and Quatre take the rest of the platters and transfer portions onto their own plates. He is still glancing nervously around, and his positioning suggests vividly that he expects to either be hit or have the food taken. His slightly emaciated form suddenly holds a whole new meaning to the Sweepers who were observing him. Slow and purposeful starvation. There is an incredulous and slightly shocked pause in his hasty repast, when Duo and Quatre begin putting _more_ food on his plate, and it gains him sympathy from most of those close enough to see it, were or not.

"You eat anything besides meat?" Trowa nods shyly, gaze averted, and Duo spoons a portion of greens onto his plate as well, while Quatre serves him some mashed potatoes and a roll. The next several minutes are silent, as Trowa devours his food at a slightly less frantic pace. When he slows almost to a stop suddenly, Duo touches his arm gently and he winces.

"Don't worry about finishing it, if you're full. We'll get you more when you're hungry again." Trowa looks at him, face half chagrined, half wistful. A couple people look a little confused, seeing as his plate was not overly full to begin with, and still contains more than half of its contents. Quatre smiles brightly.

"It will take a while for your stomach to get used to eating such large portions." Trowa nods and shoves the plate away with a shaking hand.

"Thank you... I'm not used to eating that much all at once..." he blinks, and finally seems to notice the eyes pinned on him. He stares back, and hides his shaking hands under the table. Quatre goes back to his own food, glancing at their companion out of the corner of his eye. Duo does likewise, only he strikes up a loud conversation with the Sweeper next to him, breaking the awkward silence and impromptu staring contest. Trowa relaxes with their gazes off him, and glances around, sniffing at the air surreptitiously. Quatre tilts his head questioningly.

"Do you know where Kathy is?" Quatre shakes his head, but Howard gestures flamboyantly with the nearly empty pitcher he was pouring from.

"That pretty lady friend of yours already ate with the first mess, and I believe is enjoying the tubs with our wonderful Ms. Po." Trowa turns and looks at him with a direct and intimidating stare that doesn't affect him at all, other than to make him laugh.

"You know, your gonna chase off all the ladies if you don't start blinking once in a while!" Trowa blinks. Duo snorts, but doesn't burst out laughing, which is fortunate considering his mouth is full. Quatre finishes his plate, and politely picks at a piece of bread while waiting. Trowa blinks slowly.

"Well, I'm ready for bed. How 'bout you two?" Trowa twitches, but doesn't flinch as Duo slams down his drained cup. Quatre beams. A tall, heavyset man with flaming red hair, grins weakly.

"What, no seconds, thirds, and the table as well tonight?" Trowa frowns with his eyebrows at that remark, but Duo relieves him by tossing back a retort.

"Nah, I'm more tired than hungry right now. I'll leave that task up to you and Sellane." The redhead sputters.

"Hah! You just don't want to admit we could eat you under the table any day of the week!" Duo laughs as he stands up.

"Whatever, old man! Live in your fantasy world!" Then he leads his companions out of the hall. Trowa follows quietly until their three halls down before speaking.

"You didn't have to cut your meal short..." Duo looks at him.

"What do ya mean?" Trowa looks at the floor.

"You didn't have to leave before you finished..." Duo smiles reassuringly.

"Nah, don't worry about it! I was finished enough. Roy was just teasing me, 'cause normally I eat like a horse every meal of the day except dinner. Besides, you guys are tired, and I could tell you weren't comfortable. If I get hungry, we'll raid the kitchens to get ourselves some snacks, okay?" Trowa looks at him, then nods. He's so busy studying the shorter boy that he nearly walks into Quatre as the blonde comes to a halt in front of Duo's quarters. Only his cat-like reflexes save him as Duo sidesteps him and keys open the door.

The dark room is cool and fresh smelling, despite the slight clutter, and Trowa pauses a moment in the doorway, eyes scanning as his new roommates enter and the soft lights glow into life. Duo marches around the room, shoving things aside and under the beds and side table as he grumbles good-naturedly. Trowa enters cautiously and watches in growing respect as Duo begins shoving a number of small demi's out of his way and off of the furniture, muttering about the 'annoying little blighters'. Trowa clears his throat as Duo lifts up a vaguely serpentine creature with a rat-like face.

"You do know those are poisonous, right?" Duo looks at him and then down at the crawly in his hands. It curls placidly against his fingers, cool to the touch. He grins.

"Nope. They haven't poisoned me yet, so I ain't gonna worry about it none." He sets the thing down on his pillow, and it curls up in a tight little coil.

"You mind a top bunk?" Duo queries as he stands on Quatre's mattress to reach a metal handle protruding from the wall. Trowa shakes his head, as Duo pulls, unfolding another mattress compartment and nearly knocking himself off of his perch as it falls. Rubbing his chest where the bunk struck him, he jumps down and grabs a pillow up off of the floor, slapping it to shake out the dust before tossing it up.

"There." he turns to Trowa where he is leaning calmly against the doorframe. Quatre sits down on his bunk, pulling off his shoes, then rises and disappears into a small door. Duo points after him.

"That's the toilet. There's spare blankets in the cupboard in there." Trowa follows his fingers with a silent gaze as the braided boy turns and tugs at a drawer in the side table.

"And if you get hungry enough, there's some energy bars in here... they don't taste like much, but they're edible, and Howie will have a fit if you wander out without me, so if you do head out to find the kitchen, it's on the same level as the mess hall, and don't get caught, okay?" Trowa blinks at him again and nods.

"Good! Now, let's hit the hay! You look ready to fall over, and Quat's already half asleep!" Trowa tenses slightly as Duo moves past him to secure the door, and inches into the room along the wall, heading for the bunk above Quatre's. The blonde emerges from the bathroom and smiles shyly at him as he uses his bed as a ladder rung to climb into his own.

Once up, Trowa curls into the corner, against the walls with his pillow and the blanket, as the lights go out. Then all there is in the dark is a few soft rustlings as the other two settle down.

"Duo, see about getting Trowa a toothbrush in the morning okay?" Duo hums softly in agreement, and his bed squeaks as he rolls over. Then Quatre's blonde head peeks up over the edge of his bed, making Trowa jump.

"It's okay to relax Trowa..." Duo snorts, and his voice drifts up through the dark.

"Get some sleep, fuzzball! Even I can see you're exhausted, and this is the safest place you can be right now... we've got temporary measures in place to deal with the shield gaps, and I promise we won't let anything happen to you, okay? And I'm Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie..." Quatre smiles sadly and comfortingly, until Trowa nods in agreement, and his taut muscles release. Then the blonde pats his arm reassuringly and disappears. And despite his cautious and nervous nature, Trowa finds himself relaxing into a deep, restful sleep as his tightly curled body stretches out into a languid sprawl. And for once, he doesn't feel as if the bars of his cage are pressing in on him even in his dreams...

Shouri: There. That's it. Don't worry, things liven up soon... er, I think... I can't remember what part I wrote after this one... I'm gonna hafta descramble and reread it. So, did you like? Review Please! Tankiwa! Ja ne!


	14. Chapter 11 Sleeping on the Edge of a Kni

Shouri: Here's the next chapter, for Zmaj. I hope you're not the only one left reading this Zmaj, but I will keep posting updates just for you if you are. If anyone has some better suggestions for the chappie titles, let me know! Tell me the parts you love/hate! Oh, and I'm still waiting at least two more chapters (written, not posted) before starting with pairings, so if you have a request, tell me so I can consider it! Otherwise it'll end up 3X4 and 1X2X5, cause those are my favorites! Ja!

****

****

**Chapter 11 Sleeping on the Edge of a Knife**

Trowa awakens with a jerk. The room lights up, and the air is thick with a cloud of demi-demons, screeching as they leap and fly. One is perched on the light switch, keening. Most are centering on Duo as the braided boy rolls out of his bed, a wicked silver dagger gleaming in his hands, ready as the sleep clears from his eyes. Trowa shivers and cowers away instinctively. Quatre leaps up and into view, a number of soft, brightly colored demons of a type Trowa knows follow empaths clinging to his clothes.

He glances at the door, then reaches out and touches Duo's arm, seeming to bleed some of the tension out of it. Someone starts pounding on the door, and in an instant the electronic lock beeps and the door slides open. Trowa lets out a snarling roar, half-transforming and shifting to crouch on the end of his bed, prepared to leap at the intruder.

The Sweeper, the red head from dinner, jerks back, hand going for the gun gripped tucked into a holster on his hip. Duo, relaxed and more alert, still just keeps himself from skewering the man with his knife. Quatre reaches up fearlessly and grips Trowa's forearms, fingers brushing the soft black fur where it peeks out of the tears his sudden change in shape caused. Half panther shaped, and more than half wild, Trowa suddenly feels calm radiating into him, and he relaxes.

_He is an empath... I knew I could trust him..._ the Sweeper, Roy, stares at the suddenly tame were with wide eyes, gasping in fear and shock. Duo slides the dagger back under his pillow with a curse, grumpy.

"Shit, Roy! You should know better dude! I coulda diced you up!" The braided boy is ignoring the fact that their unexpected visitor nearly got skewered by the teeth and claws of a jumpy were as well as several inches of his wicked dagger. Roy, still eyeing the were as he slowly melts back to human under Quatre's fingers with his green eyes closed lightly, cautiously releases his gun's grip.

"Duo! Something got in past the wards! It killed three agents, just tore out their throats! The priest managed to get up a temporary seal that'll keep everything else out, but we can't get in and out ourselves with it up, and we think the thing is still in here!" Duo tenses once more, and curses inventively in several different languages. Trowa growls. Roy looks at him distrustfully.

"Duo, kid, should you really have that thing in here with you while you're sleeping?" Duo blinks, and then gets a little angry at the insinuation. He frowns.

"What? Trowa? Or these?" He points above his at the wheeling creatures, and to the flock covering his bed and clinging to the walls. A few bolder individuals are even clinging to him, now that the bat demon perched on his shoulder has broken the ice. Roy blinks in confusion, then his eyes widen as he invokes his sight, and he chokes, gaping like a fish.

"Wha... when?... how?!" Duo snorts, and Trowa blinks, then drops down beside Quatre. Duo grins.

"You should stop worrying about me so much. I'm a big monster killer, I can make my own decisions and everything! Trow! Do me a favor, and find out if anyone knows anything about our visitor!" Trowa nods, then growls out a soft purr, and several of Duo's horde abandon him to gather over the man shaped cat. He hums at them and they respond. Duo ignores it, eyes still on Roy. The big man blinks and tears his eyes away from Trowa to look at the mad grin on Duo's face. He winces... Duo is pissed.

"Uh... I apologize for entering your room without your permission... it was a stupid thing to..." Duo interrupts him.

"Yes. It was a stupid thing to do, and next time you definitely won't be so lucky. The only thing that kept you in the land of the living was Quat's intervention. I was still asleep enough to have carved out your heart before I even realized I had a knife in my hands!" Quatre blushes. Roy backs up.

"I... well... uh, it won't happen again!..." Duo nods, mollified.

"Good. Sorry to rag on you, bro, but I get enough nightmares from dismembering the baddies, without having to deal with the guilt of bumping a friend in my sleep!... You said the infiltrator killed some agents?" Roy shakes his head and nods.

"Three. Sam MacGuillan, Laurie O'rel, and Stag Ironhoof. Fawn is hysterical..." Duo curses at the last name. Stag was one of their best hunters, a full-blooded Native American whose family had been in the business for nearly a hundred years. He and his younger brothers were always Shinigami's first choice for back up in a serious fight.

"Where?" Roy shivers.

"The lounge on the third level, right outside the barrack halls." Duo grins grimly.

"Is there any way to know for sure if it's still inside?" Roy blinks, about to answer when Trowa growls softly and he realizes the question is directed away from him, at the other two young men.

"These three saw it. It's a vamp all right, but as soon as they got a look at it, they hid. Vampires devour smaller demons without a second thought. It wasn't until it had already killed and eaten that they ran to you and started the ruckus... none of them know if it's still inside..." Duo nods.

"Tell them they did good, but next time I need them to run straight to me and raise the alarm." Trowa nods and croons, attention back on the trio that has settled around his shoulders. Duo looks at Quatre, who is frowning slightly in concentration.

"Quat?" The blonde smiles slightly.

"It's hard... there's a lot of panic and fear... strong grief... rage and sorrow... there is a trace of malice and bloodlust, but its faint, it could just be a resonance left... AH!" He jerks, a hand going to his head as he staggers back a step, panting. His eyes close. Duo reaches for him, Trowa catches his arm, and the two steady him as he shivers. Roy looks on in confusion.

"It's here... but it's shielded really well, I can't get a lock on its position." Duo nods.

"Does it feel like its gonna go on a rampage anytime in the next half hour?" Quatre opens his eyes, which are bleary, and shakes his head.

"No, it thinks it knows that we don't know its here, and that we have no way of finding out. I think it will sit tight until it feels the panic is over and then sneak out..." Duo nods with a sickening grin.

"Good." Roy stares still as Maxwell swings into action. The dagger reappears, along with several other weapons, sheaths, and holsters. Duo tosses a gun to Trowa and the were catches it nimbly. Duo grins.

"Don't shoot yourself in the foot... that thing is loaded with high silver content, exploding tips..." Trowa nods, checks the cartridge and the safety, then tucks the handgun into the front of his coverall, which is hanging open after having all the buttons burst off. Quatre is cuddling Sandrock to his chest, but he holds out a hand.

"I can handle anything semi-automatic..." Duo nods and sifts through the pile, tossing the short blonde a shoulder harness loaded with a matte black gun. Quatre slides it on, letting Sandrock go to unfurl delicate wings and hover around his head as he adjusts the straps. Duo dons the rest of the arsenal.

"Get everybody to the mess hall, and I mean everyone, wounded and all. And strip the armory. Anything silver, capable of decapitating the enemy, or explosive enough to take out the heart entirely." Roy pauses a minute, then whirls and complies as a sharp violet gaze skewers him.

Shouri: There... short and sweet, actions coming up soon.... please review? Pwease? gives desperate, sad uma eyes to the audience Oh, and as soon as you review Zmaj, I'll put up Chapter 12, though that may not always be the case. Tankiwa! Ja ne!


	15. Chapter 12 Danger in the Dark

****

****

Shouri: Sorry! Sorry Zmaj! I was gonna put it right out, but the school computer system went down, and I had no way of getting online until like... ten minutes ago! Gomen-nasai! ...bows...

Okay, a few things. One is, I'm glad you guys like it! I hope I can get more reviews soon! I love them!

Second thing is for Incompetent... I will gladly oblige you with the 3X4 and the 1X2, but... ...looks sheepish... I'm not a big fan of 5XS.... I just can't see Wu with someone that much older! It's the same reason I have trouble pairing him with Treize and Zechs... it feels like writing cradle-robbing. That's why I suggested 1X2X5, cause I don't want him to be alone, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sticking him with the other three... that and I like yaoi! ...giggles...

Last thing. Anyone else with any pairing preferences, even if they are (or especially) the minor ones, please tell me! You're running out of time! And I really want some opinions on the titles of the chapters so far... I started having trouble at 7, and that threw me off. Thanks!

Okay, 'nuff of my chatter... on with the action!

****

**Chapter 12 Danger in the Dark **

The mess hall is loud with terrified and frantic babble. Howard gently keeps the Sweepers as calm as possible but when volunteers begin carrying in the inhabitants of the hospital it gets a little difficult.

Suddenly, the noise stills, except for the crying of a few young children, and the quiet moaning chants of grief coming from a trio of rusty skinned men, trying to comfort a fourth boy who resembles them greatly, from skin tone and face shape, to long feathery raven hair. Duo strides into the hall, flanked by Quatre and Trowa, all three looking business like. A horde of demons swarms around and behind them, several hanging off of the three, and the auras of so many in such a concentrated area make them visible to even the ungifted as shadowy, ghostlike wraiths.

The gifted see them in their entire splendor. Trowa is intimidating, dressed in clothing that hang open in front, with its buttons gone, and in tatters from the knees and elbows down. Not all of them have seen Duo in his God of Death mode, and many recoil slightly to see the cold murderous edge to the joker's smile. Duo marches straight towards Howard, a path clearing smoothly for him. He grins at the older man, who is wearing a strange set of nightclothes that resembles his tasteless Hawaiian shirts. Duo nods, then leaps up onto the table.

"We've got a situation on our hands." Quatre leans against the table, eyes narrowed in concentration as he glances around the room, almost as if he is looking through the crowds and the walls. Trowa climbs up onto the table and crouches at Duo's feet, toes clenching like claws as his sharp green gaze quarters the crowd, nose twitching. Catherine starts shoving towards them from the tables where the injured and sick have been lain out.

"The cell has been infiltrated, and the nasty is still inside."

"You can't know that! It hasn't killed anyone else since the seal was strengthened, I say it ran!" Hilde calls out, glaring slightly at Trowa. Duo looks at her.

"I do know it. Now, if you're not going to be helpful, then go back about your business, we'll deal with the fuckin' bloodsucker on our own." Hilde recoils as Catherine reaches the foot of table and glares at Trowa.

"What are you doing?" Trowa smiles slightly.

"Going hunting." Catherine frowns.

"You can't do that! You know the Ringmaster's rules, we're only rented out to talk, not fight!" Trowa grins suddenly, like a lazy panther as it grins death down on a deer, frozen in terror beneath its canopy perch.

"I know his rules... but I'm not following him any longer." Catherine pulls back, aghast.

"... what?..." Trowa quirks his head so his bangs fall away from his face, and both eyes meet hers.

"I am no longer his." Catherine looks at him in wonder and growing elation as he turns his gaze back to Duo, who is still addressing his fellow Sweepers.

"... guards on all the entrances, and at least three priests setting up warding around just the hall. Got it? Nobody leaves this hall. Once it figures out we're sniffing it out, its likely to break its silence and just kill everything it encounters, and if its strong enough, it could probably go through at least a good number of us before we could kill it." Quatre turns.

"Got it. That direction." Duo nods and hops down.

"Alright. Hunting time. I want volunteers. I need three sharpshooters armed with silver and exploding ammo, a priest, and anyone fast enough with a sword to feel confidant against a vampire." He starts towards the door, then suddenly halts and turns.

"Oh, and Leaping Hart! You up for a little revenge?!" The biggest of the four in the corner looks up. His sad face transforms into a feral expression of determination and rage. He rises without hesitation and follows the shorter boy, barely sparing a glance for Trowa as the were eyes him. Trowa lets him pass, taking his position just behind and to the side of Duo. The distraught man pauses only long enough to heft a shotgun off of a table, and strap on a shining scimitar.

By the time they reach the door, there are three Sweepers packing sighted guns, a man with a dueling saber, a scarred woman armed with two short swords, and Hilde, who flicks her gaze distrustfully at Trowa. Duo raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. A nervous looking younger cleric wearing the uniform of an army chaplain joins them, fidgeting with his cross and holding a revolver with inexperience in his grip. Duo smiles at him.

"Just stay back, and trust your God." The man nods, and falls into line as they leave the hall, following a distant Quatre as the blonde seems to sleepwalk down the halls with the surety of a long time resident. All is quiet as they pass down staircases and through rooms.

Duo suddenly pauses, halting Quatre with a restraining hand as the blonde reaches for the handle of a door. He narrows his eyes.

"... we're getting close... I can feel it..." Quatre blinks.

"Yes. It's very near now." Trowa growls softly, and his shoulders hunch slightly. Leaping Hart edges away from him, and Hilde drops her hand to the grip of her gun. Duo nods.

"Everybody be extra alert from this point." He shoves open the door, gun raised in one hand, safety off. Trowa and Quatre flank him, both with guns extended as they scan the dark shadows of what looks to be a storage warehouse. The lights fail to come on as they flip the switches. One of the gunmen comes up, smelling strongly of fear to Trowa. He growls.

"There're only three exits to this bunker..." Duo nods, eyes sharply gazing out, rather than at the speaker. Trowa glances at him, and he looks back at the were nervously. Trowa snorts.

"It's going to smell you coming a mile away." The man blinks. Quatre smiles wanly, still sweeping the small clear space around him along the barrel of his gun.

"Everyone relax. We know what we're doing." Duo laughs softly, dangerously.

"Okay, I want everyone paired up. You," he motions with his head, not bothering to look, at the speaker, "I want you here. Brother Laurence, right? You're with him. I want a barrier around this place as tight as you can make it, as soon as I signal you. And get your cross out of your shirt, it doesn't do you any good in there." The priest fumbles for his cross, and they are suddenly illuminated with a faint and flickering light of pure silver. Brother Laurence gasps in wonder. Duo grins.

"Good, it's not too close. You keep your faith, Brother, and that thing will glow brighter than the sun. The vamp won't be able to touch either of you." The man with the dueling saber suddenly fumbles in his shirt pocket, coming out with a Star of David, and slipping it over his head. As soon as the chain encircles his neck, the glow doubles, and Duo smiles encouragingly at him.

"Smart. You're with her." He motions towards the only female among the sharpshooters.

"I want the two of you to go along the left wall, keep your eyes open and guard each others backs. When you get to the service door, stay put. It's locked, but it's gonna be a weak point in the barrier, just because it is an entrance, and not a foot of solid cement." The third sharpshooter, a lanky gray-haired man with a cocky grin, shifts nervously. The scarred woman grins, fingering the hilt of one of her sheathed blades, hands resting at the ready on both.

"San, Tim, you two are together. I want you two to use were tactics, and Tim, you keep your strongest barrier up. It's not strong enough to stop a vamp altogether, but it'll sure slow him down... not that I hafta tell you how to work! You two head right for the other door. It still doesn't know we know its here, does it Quat?" Quatre concentrates.

"No. It feels very strong, but I sense very little true intelligence and initiative. It's smart, but it's blinded by its self-confidence." Duo nods.

"Alright. Hart, I want you to stay with us... once everyone is in position, Quat gets to play bloodhound. It could head for the doors, which is why I want them guarded, but I'm almost certain we'll corner it out in the shelves. Hilde, I'd order you to stay behind here..."

"But I wouldn't listen. You're not leaving me out of this!" he sighs, resigned.

"I know. So it's safer to just keep you with us. Alright, everyone knows where I want them. Just remember, stay alert, shoot to kill, heart shots and decapitating blows only, and raise as much of a racket as you can if he charges the door. Got it?" there are nods.

"Then let's move before blood breath gets smart and figures out that we're boxing him in."

The four wingers drift off in the dark, Tim and San disappearing almost at once, but the other two fading slowly under the glow of the swordsman's Star.

"Try to keep tabs on 'em, Quat." Quatre nods, and closes his eyes. About five minutes later, he sighs.

"Left is in position." There is another pause of a minute or two.

"Right is in position." Duo grins and pulls out another gun, an automatic, cocking a round into the chamber.

"All right, my friends. Let's rock and roll. Raise the barrier." Brother Laurence, hand still gripping the revolver tightly in the faint shine of his cross, closes his eyes, and the air tightens imperceptibly. Duo laughs, insanely loud.

"Alright! Shinigami is back from Hell. Now let's go send this bastard for a visit." He slinks out into the aisle between shelves. Quatre travels at the center, gun ready but mind distracted as he directs them along the maze of crates. Trowa brings up the rear, on the right. Duo is in the lead, eyes shining violet in the dark. Hilde notices a soft shine from under his shirt as she turns to glance his way from her position right on his left, but doesn't say anything. Hart moves almost as silently Trowa in the left side tail guard position.

"Damn." Everyone stops and peers at Quatre in slight shock as he curses softly, shaking his head.

"I lost him. He felt us as we got closer... he must have figured it out." Duo nods.

"Alright, everyone keep your eyes open." Trowa adjusts his grip on the borrowed gun, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. They start forward even more slowly, heading vaguely in the direction of Quatre's last lock. Trowa suppresses a growl in his throat. They come to an intersection, and Duo pauses, approaching the new, wider isle they have to cross or take.

Quatre rubs absently at his chest frowning, and Hart stares down the way they came, scimitar held in his left hand, sawed off shotgun in his right. Trowa twitches, his skin tingling as he glares around them with slit green cat-eyes, locking on and dismissing shadows frantically. Duo turns and shuffles across the open space.

Trowa suddenly tenses, and his head snaps forward as if he were a puppet whose string had just been pulled. His eyes glow like a wild animals in the night, and the suppressed growl bubbles up in his throat. Hilde jerks, turning to look at him wide-eyed. He can see her clearly, and he can smell her sudden fear, layered over her hatred. Quatre beside her stiffens. Trowa's eyes slide past her.

"What are you doing?!" She hisses the question, and her gun swings around to point at him. He doesn't answer her, not noticing in his focus.

Duo turns back, eyes wide with despair as he hears Trowa growl. The were glows a soft, muted green to his special sight, one of two bright spots of color in a world now doubly gray. The other two glow with the faint shadow light of living beings, the color surrounding them pale and pastel in comparison. The were is sprouting fur, his light flashing as claws form and his face distorts with deadly teeth.

Trowa half changes, tearing his clothing a bit more. His eyes widen with fear and a challenge, and his growl deepens. Duo gasps as the air flickers in his sight, and the gray of darkness changes slightly, becoming a mist of red so dark it's nearly black. The miasma thickens, and centers low on one of the shelves lining their path. Between him and his team. His guns come up, seemingly in slow motion. He peripherally notices Quatre whirling with wide eyes towards the hidden menace, mouth opening just as slowly to shout a warning. The thing moves towards the little empath as the blonde's gun starts to rise in defense. Hilde is between the two, her back to the charging creature, eyes fixed on Trowa as he bristles.

Trowa's eyes lock gazes with the soulless black orbs of the vampire, and he can see its malicious intent as it smiles cruelly at him, the rest of its body solidifying rapidly. It moves, and Trowa roars, transforming completely, shredding his clothes and dropping his gun as he launches himself forward. Hilde jerks, and her gun goes off. Trowa roars again in pain as his leap finishes, knocking her to the ground just in time. He staggers under the impact as the vamp slams him with the blow that was meant to snap Hilde in half and throw her out of his path.

The sturdy panther howls in agony as its claws rake him, but isn't moved. Quatre backpedals, safe for the moment. Below him, Hilde struggles, panicked and oblivious the silent attack from behind, until the enraged monster catches hold of Trowa with his claws, and heaves the big were off of his feet and into the air, hissing out a snarl of rage for the obstruction.

Trowa gasps, and twists. His teeth fasten around one of its wrists, and as each foot is wrenched from the ground, he flails till the claws rake his captor. The vampire screeches, and he sinks his front claws in. One hooks around the back of its neck, trying to damage its spine, the other digs into its chest. His hind legs continue to rake bloody tracks as he tries to get enough leverage to disembowel without choking.

Quatre shouts, unable to shoot with Trowa in the way, and Duo charges towards the battling supernatural beings, in the same predicament. His cross bounces free of his shirt, shining brightly. Hilde rolls away, coming to her feet, and her eyes go wide as she takes in the deadly fight, illuminated faintly by Duo's cross.

The vampire winces and averts his gaze from the light. Trowa manages to twist his head, and the thing snarls as one wrist snaps.

Wounded, his advantage lost now that he can no longer choke Trowa, and facing the strength draining glow of a cross, the vampire tears Trowa's gripping claws away from him, tossing the were with damaging force into the shelves, impossible rocking the structure and smashing the panther through the crates and out of sight.

With a triumphant leer, he turns towards Quatre. There is a blur, and a flash of silver, just before his expression becomes one of dismay and shock. Then he tumbles, and begins to fade into mist. Just before he disappears, his head separates company with his shoulders, and his fading form reveals a stoic Hart, holding a scimitar that now glows red with vampire blood.

"That was for my brother."

Shouri: There ya go... Chapter 13 will be up as soon as I can get it there... I really am sorry for the delay... stupid school computers... Well, what'd ya think? Review please! Tankiwa! Ja ne!


	16. Chapter 13 Bad Things Always Come in Thr

_Shouri: ... hey guys... Sorry this took so long... I'm not having a good month so far... so please forgive me if I don't get much done. For everyone who is still reading... SURPRISE! The fight isn't over yet! I hope you all enjoy! Tell me what you think. Here's thirteen! holds up a picture of Treize, capturedwearing rose boxers, hands raised and mouth opened in an indignant exclamation at the camera which he is apparently backing away from Heh heh.... See ya after!_

**Chapter 13 Bad Things Always Come in Threes**

In the faint light from Duo's cross, Hart suddenly staggers back in shock, his sword clattering to the ground. Hilde, wide-eyed, squeaks inarticulately, staring at the spot where the black panther had disappered. Quatre collapses onto his back, panting. Duo, still high on the surge of the vampire's death, and the rush of its energy, leans heavily on his knees.

"Yo, you okay Quat?" Hegrates out. The blonde is clutching his chest, face twisted in a grimace.

"Yeah… Trowa?!" He croaks. There is a soft clatter as splinters of wood shift and fall off of a shelf, and then a black shape rises unsteadily in the hole, lurching forward to collapse, head and one paw hanging off of the metal ledge. Two green eyes open as he pants, meeting Quatre's gaze, and the blonde relaxes.

"Nothing vital. Hilde?" He looks at her.

"Shock." Quatre dismisses. He doesn't even wait for her to attempt to respond.

"Hart… I'm glad you feel better… " Quatre murmurs, then stops wide-eyed. His head jerks around. Duo narrows his eyes.

"The miasma is still here…" Duo murmurs. Quatre looks at him, his eyes , his eyes widening in a shine of reflected light.

"Your cross…" he murmurs, pointing at the faint glow.

"Shit! There's more than one!" Duo yelps.Trowalurches up again, groaning softly, and falls more than jumps off, crumpling to the ground and then rising. One of his legs hangs limp, blood smears the ground at his claws. Gunfire echoes from the left, and then from back the way they came. Screams, and an inhuman shriek join the staccato bursts. Duo curses. There is a bright shock of light back from the entrance they used, and it glows brilliantly. A vampire howls, and the light fades.

"How many?! Quatre!" he howls, grabbing Hilde and tossing her shocked frame at Trowa's paws. Hart is groping for his sword, face determined. Hilde chokes as she finds herself at the feet of a menacing were, then suddenly one front paw rises above her and crosses her chest. His hindquarters lean to his bad side, supported by the shelves, his front straddle her. He growls slightly, eyes locked on Duo as Duo pulls up Quatre. The empath is concentrating so hard, his gun falls from his limp fingers. Duo's horde appears, squeaking and chirruping as they swarm about him.

Quatre convulses, screaming and clutching his head.

"Quat!" Duo catches him. Trowa jerks forward, then settles back, still straddling the limp and shaking Hilde like a cub. She blinks as something thick and vicious drips onto her cheek, warm. She reaches up and her fingers slide through the slippery stuff. Trowa is bleeding on her.

"I… I'm all…right Duo… there are two… and the three were an entire squad!… you have to stop them! They could wipe out the entire base on their own! Go!" Quatre shoves him, and collapses back and onto his butt again. Duo hesitates a moment, until Quatre reaches out a shaking hand and retrieves his gun. Checking it, he scoots backwards until he is snug against Trowa's exposed side, facing into his blind spot.

Duo grabs Hart and charges down the main isle, heading for the door on the left. There is still gunfire coming from that direction. Hart staggers with him, eyes widening at the almost violet glow of Duo's cobalt eyes. The brightening silver light of his cross seems to glow within his eyes, like a fire within.

Duo glares as he runs. Now that he has seen their auras once, the other vampires stand out as clear as day, despite the shielding on their power. One is overpowering the glow of the two Sweepers holding the western gate. The other, duller than the first, and sparking as if wounded, is heading towards the first. Hart finally gets his rhythm and starts holding his own, so Duo releases him, snarling out a litany of hell and damnation on the filthy monsters that will shortly find their ends at the barrel of his guns. The gunfire stops.

The Swordsman is backed into the wall when they arrive, a man standing before him with blonde hair. The stranger is wearing a pair of dark goggles, and tilting his head as if to avoid the glare from the swordsman's Star. It seems to be going out, and the swordsman is bloodied. The woman who had been with him is slumped, her vacant eyes staring at them.

Her throat has been torn out violently. Blood is spattered across the wall and floor around her corpse.

The second vampire arrives, holding to his arm, where a gaping wound is slowly but visibly closing. He too looks normal, unlike the last one. His skin is dusky, and his hair is curly black. But then he looks at Duo, and the illusion flickers, showing the monster lurking in his eyes. Duo raises his gun calmly, and fires into the wounded vampire's chest. He staggers, but the bullet fails to take him out. He howls.

The blond whirls, and the frantic swordsman looks up with terrified eyes. His Star suddenly flares, as if their arrival has renewed his faith. The vampire recoils. Duo sights on him, as Hart charges the bloody wreck, sword rising for a strike.

The blonde turns at him, and then hisses. Claws and fangs appear, and his pleasant features melt into hideousness. He leaps at Duo. Duo fires twice. The thing jerks, but still lands on him with punishing force, slamming him to the ground. He groans in pain, but it pulls back from the fierce glow of his cross.

Raging, it slams its fist into the side of his face, the force rocking him sideways. The monster shifts and pins him onto his stomach, extinguishing the cross by burying it beneath him. It snarls, and claws scrape with deceptive gentleness along the nape of his neck as he struggles. It slams his hand, knocking his gun from him. Duo's Batruz bursts from the collar of his shirt, and launches into the vamp's face, slashing and making it recoil. The claws retract from the shallow grooves they are wearing in his skin. The little thing is flung away.

The other vamp howls, and Hart goes flying past Duo's range of sight. A high, familiar hissing roar echoes, and the vampire on his back jerks as something jet-black slams into its chest. A gun opens up nearby, and the darker vampire screeches as he is methodically clipped, forcing him back from the swordsman. A second gun begins raggedly, and the creature's chest becomes a mess. Its inhuman eyes widen.

Duo rolls over and yanks a third gun from his waistband. Trowa is near the wall, trying to rise on only two legs. And between them, the lighter of the two is holding at the gaping gash in his throat as it closes. Duo glares. It looks at him.

"Go to Hell, you son of a bitch…" Duo places his shot dead into its heart, and the bullet explodes on impact. The second shot takes him right between his surprised eyes, and then he no longer has eyes… or a head for that matter, to look surprised with. He dissolves into mist, even as Duo whirls to where the other vamp was. It too has faded into death. He slumps.

Quatre is leaning against one of the shelves, one hand holding his spent gun, the other wrapped around a wide-eyed Hilde. She is staring at the spot where the vanquished vampire stood, arms still extended, and finger still pulling the trigger of her weapon with soft uneven clicks. Quatre, breathing heavy, drops his gun and gently takes hers, then lowers her to the ground. He staggers forward like one drunk on exhaustion. The swordsman sits up, bloody but not badly injured. Hart rolls onto his side, groaning and holding his ribs. Duo relaxes.

"Is everyone okay?" Duo calls asQuatre heslumps against the wall, sliding down to sit. Trowa stops trying to rise, simply settles, his head lying in Quatre's lap.

"Hilde is in shock, and I'm fine." Quatre replies.

"Fine… broken ribs…" Croaks Leaping Hart.

"I believe I will survive… it'll take more than that to take down Jax Mayley…" The swordsman grins weakly, then passes out in delayed reaction. There is a rush on Duo's skin, and Trowa melts back into human. He blinks at Duo over Quatre's knee. His left leg sports a deep gash that has already stopped bleeding, though its healing is nowhere near as swift as that of the vampires. Other jagged slices cut his sides, chest, shoulders, and neck. His right arm is limp, and rests at an awkward angle.

"Fine." He yawns, then shivers slightly. Duo nods, then gives in to his dizziness and lays down.

"Duo?" Quatre calls.

"Someone get us some help down here…" He looks at Quatre with a weak grin.

"Do you have a concussion Duo?…" Quatre asks suspiciously. Duo laughs a little, and winces as his head throbs and the room spins.

"Just a little one…" He sort of fades out of consciousness, because the next thing he registers is the arrival of their back up. About ten medics and Sweeper agents swarm into the clear space.

Instinctively he raises his gun, but doesn't shoot once he recognizes the intruders.

Howard is looking even more so like a worried old grandfather than usual, and Duo sits up slightly to watch. Quatre is perched in the middle of Trowa's back, and the were beneath him has the teeth of his animal side sunken into a thick piece of wood. There is a crack, and Quatre jerks up, relocating his shoulder. Trowa growls, and his claws scrape the ground. The medics and their rescuers wince and back up as the wood splinters.

Quatre gets off of him, and he sits up, rotating the damaged limb. Two medics are steadying Hart as he gets onto the gurney. Trowa snorts disdain and rises, limping but steady.

"Show off…" Duo slurs slightly as he fights off another wave of nausea. The nearest medic scoots over to him, and he puts up with his fussy tending good-naturedly, despite his headache. Quatre, smiling brightly, gets up as well. He agrees to let the medics cart him out, although, whether this is to keep them happy, or to spare himself the walk, only he can say.

When they get him seated comfortably on one of the rolled tables, Trowa hesitates. Then with another slight shake of his head, he turns, shoves away from the shelf he is using for support, and lurches to Quatre's side. The medic takes one look at him, and moves out of his way, letting the battered werepanther hoist himself up at Quatre's feet.

He drapes himself over Quatre's legs, head and shoulders resting in the weary empath's lap. Quatre adjusts his legs to give him room, then wraps one arm over his shoulders. The medics approach as Quatre closes his eyes with a sigh, his free hand toying lightly with the soft hair on the back of Trowa's head. Trowa makes a sound that could be a sigh, or a short purr, and then closes his eyes as well, letting the medical personnel wheel the two away. Jax, still unconscious, goes next, and then the old medic motions for a stretcher for Duo. Howard frets just out of the way, alternating between scolding and questioning.

"Howard, buddy, can you please shut up!? My head is killing me…" Duo quips with a weak smile. Howard relaxes.

"Damn, Kid, you scared me there… but you're complaining, so you're gonna survive…" The old Sweeper laughs. Duo sticks his tongue out at him as the old man secures a strap over his waist.

"Yah, well, let's see you handle a vampire using you as a punching bag, and then you can talk…" he closes his eyes a moment, then opens them and looks at Howard again. He finally notices that the room is brightly illuminated.

"I see you got the lights to work… how are the other pairs?"he asks.Howard sighs.

"We found San and Tim the were-killers on our way in. Both were fine, they didn't even see anything, just heard all the fighting. Found a Brother Laurence and Justin Segard at the main door. Segard had some slashes on his sides and a chunk taken out of his shoulder… said the vampire tore a bite out. The priest, he's alive too, but he's got a nice hole through his chest. The thing stabbed a metal spar from one of the shelves through his lower shoulder… you look like hell, Duo. Are vampires that tough?"Howard asks in a matronly voice. Duo grins.

"Nah, the buggers just caught us off-guard. Went haring off after one, only to get flanked by the other two…" Duo yawns, then flinches.

"There were three?!" Howard nearly yells. Duo flinches as the bed beneath him jerks up.

"Yeah… hey Howie, can you do me a favor man?" Duo growls. The older man blinks behind his glasses.

"Sure Kid, what do ya need?" He asks in a quieter voice. Duo closes his eyes.

"Turn off the goddamn lights… I have a headache…" Duo almost snarls.Howard laughs as they wheel him away, following Hilde.

_Shouri: I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. Many thanks to Diamroyale, who beta-ed this for me. Also, many thanks to Starlight's constructive criticism, which has sent me off on a tangent to repair my dialogue in this fic. I shall be slowly but surely updating all the chapters so that they will be easier to understand, conversation-wise, but it will be rather glacial in its speed, since I will only do it when writer's block is bad enough to stop my writing, but not so bad as to make fixing 'em impossible. _

_Thanks everyone! I hope you like! Review please and tell me what you think! Tankiwa! Ja ne!_


	17. Chapter 14 Go To Hell Works For Me

_Shouri: Here's 14 guys... Hope you like! Just thought I'd let everyone know... I have writer's block! says this cheerily Again! Hopefully it won't last long, but don't be surprised if I post something else before the next chapter of DioM, 'kay? Sorry! I'll try to get more done on this, I really will! At least I didn't leave it in the middle of a fight like last time, or without letting you know what happened! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 14: Go To Hell Always Worked For Me...**

Duo opens his eyes with a groan, and finds himself facing a very enthusiastically smiling priest.

"Good Morning! Or afternoon, as the case may be!" The priest practically sings. Duo groans again and closes his eyes, then opens them to look at Brother Laurence more closely. The priest is directly on his left, and just beyond him is a mussed bed where someone had lain till recently.

"For a guy who nearly died a shish kebob, you're very cheerful…" Duo groans. Laurence laughs.

"Well, someone's a grumpy patient!" the priest chirps, propped up at an angle, his left shoulder and immobilized, bulky mass of bandages. Some one chuckles behind him, and Duo shifts, then freezes as something heavy obstructs his movements. His eyes narrow. Brother Laurence chuckles.

"You do realize you have a big black kitty cat sprawled all over your bed, don't you?" Laurence murmurs genially. Duo blinks, and then looks down. It's true. A limp panther is sprawled bonelessly all over his legs and lap. Two sleepy green eyes open. Trowa rumbles and tenses his muscles in a miniscule stretch, but makes no move to remove himself.

"Trowa, do I look like a cushion to you?" Duo wriggles his toes, surprised that they aren't totally numb. Trowa is no housecat.

"What the hell are you doing in my lap?" Duo smirks slightly, not nearly as irate as he is trying to sound.

"He's in your lap, because I refused to lie in bed and let him use mine anymore!" Quatre appears, freshly dressed and trailing an annoyed looking Maguanac. Duo looks up at him with a smile. Trowa rumbles again, sounding like he is chuckling, and raises his head. His rough tongue rasps over Duo's face.

"Ew! Trow, I like you too, but man! You have horrible breath!" Duo whines. Trowa purrs out another laugh and rolls enough that he can cuff Duo on the side with one pan sized paw, and then he gets up and leaps down. He flows over to Quatre, ignoring the wary eyes of his bodyguard, and twines around the blond like an affectionate pet. Quatre rubs behind his ears.

"What's with jumpy?" Duo eyes the Maguanac, who is, in turn, pinning him with a disapproving glare.

"We left Master Quatre in your care, and you took him straight into the heart of the danger!" The man hisses like an irate were. Duo blinks.

"Is that all?" He snorts, and turns his gaze away dismissively, his attention on Quatre, who is trying to mollify his guardian with a smile. The Arabian is turning bright red.

"So, what did I miss?" He quips. Quatre comes forward and sits on the edge of his bed. Brother Laurence turns to face them.

"A whole lot of little demons having conniption fits!" the Brother states, looking like he wants to laugh. Trowa sprawls at Quatre's feet, tail twitching. Quatre smiles.

"Your horde insisted on trying to 'defend' you from the medics and doctors. Trowa had to talk to each of them individually, before they would calm down and start working on plugging the holes in the wards. Howard organized teams to follow them around and do it, and they've been at it since six this morning." Quatre explains as Duo's eyes widen.

"Deathscythe!" Duo yelps, and Quatre tilts his head, but something wriggles against Duo's chest, and a little snout peeks out of his shirt. He relaxes. Quatre giggles.

"You little devil, are you really that brave, or just insane? Don't you go flying into any more monsters' faces, you little monster!" Duo exclaims, putting a hand over its back to press it against his chest in as close to a hug as he can manage. The thing squeaks and crawls out, scaling all over him like he is a tree. Laurence watches, fascinated.

"You named him Deathscythe?" Quatre queries. Duo looks confused for a minute, then slightly surprised.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I did…" he chuckles. Trowa rumbles.

"You got something to say, fuzzball?" Duo glares. Trowa looks at him, and snorts.

"You talk back more like this than when you've got a voice!" Duo laughs. Quatre giggles and Trowa turns his face away in disdain for that comment. The door opens again, and a familiar man limps in, wearing a loose shirt, open enough to show the bandages wrapped around his chest. Brother Laurence smiles.

"Justin, how are you?" the priest asks, leaning forward in an eager greeting. Justin Segard nods to Duo briefly, the sits on the edge of Brother Laurence's bed.

"Not dead! That's good enough for me." Justin gestures as flamboyantly as he can with his damaged muscles.

"I wish you would stop that. It wasn't that big a deal…" Laurence blushes. The trio of teens… well, the pair of boys and the panther playing fur rug, anyway… look at the duo curiously. Justin grins and waves one hand, careful to keep his other shoulder still.

"Not a big thing! Not a big thing!!" He turns to Duo and his friends conspiratorially. Laurence buries his face into his good hand.

"Mr. Modest here doesn't like being reminded…" Justin whispers conspiratorially as Duo pushes himself up a little more in bed, and Quatre fusses with his pillows.

"Well, we weren't there, and if it happened in the warehouse, I'm gonna ask anyway. What happened?" Duo mimics Justin's grin.

"Well, we were sitting tight, and kinda whispering to each other, and well, his cross started glowing brighter… we didn't have much more warning before the thing charged us, didn't even get off a round before it wailed and shielded its eyes from the cross. Brother Laurence stepped in front of me, so I started shooting over his shoulder. It was fast, but I caught it good a couple times… one almost took off its arm. Anyway, the filthy bloodsucker backed up into the isles. Next thing I know, it's torn a metal bar off of one of the shelves, and he _flings_ the thing. Caught Laurence here dead in the chest, and he went down, nearly pinned me, but I rolled away. Thought he was dead for sure, but he moved, and the cross didn't stop glowing. Then the thing was on me again, only this time there weren't no light keeping it back, and it slashed me up, knocked away my gun. It had me pinned, and started laughing at me, said something about such pathetic struggling only making him thirsty. So then it leaned down, licking its teeth like, and I could see the sharp ones getting long, when all the sudden, he jerked, and his teeth only scraped my throat, tore my shoulder instead. Then he staggered off a me, and I look up to see Brother Laurence, bloody and looking like death warmed over, and he's standing between me and it, cross glowin' bright as day. The thing hissed at him, and he just frowned, and all calm like, said 'You are an abomination to God's creation, and I will not allow you to darken this world with anymore blood!" and then his cross just… exploded! The light got so bright I couldn't see, and when it faded, the vamp was gone!" Justin yelps theatrically. Duo looks at the blushing Brother Laurence with a smile on his face. Quatre is grinning widely as well. Trowa's eyes twinkle.

"So…let me get this straight. You threw yourself at a vampire, injured and armed only with a cross…" Laurence nods."…and then you told the bastard to go to Hell?!" Duo laughs. Laurence stutters, and draws himself up with as much dignity as he can.

"I in no way told him to 'Go to …hell…' as you so crudely put it. I simply told him I would no longer stand for him tainting our world with his foulness…" He trails off.

"Oh fine, so you told him to go to hell with a lot of flowery words. Whatever. It was still a gutsy move, and I'd be glad to fight with you at my back any day, with that as an example!" Duo grins. Quatre beams at him. Trowa dips his head in silent respect, and Brother Laurence blushes further, as the others laugh at him.

_Shouri: Well? What do ya think? REVIEW PLEASE! Tankiwa! Ja ne!_


	18. Chapter 15 Definitely Not Ballet!

_Shouri: Hi guys! I know it's been a long time, but my health has never been good, and between recurring bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia, not having internet access at random intervals, and trying to keep up with my school work (which I'm managing, just not as well as I'd like... damn attention and memory disorder!) I've just not had any time to work on this very much. Not to say I haven't been writing, I have, just not anything that's likely to be posted on Anywho, I'm still badly writer's blocked on this story, but I remembered part of what I wanted to do next, so I'm working slowly on that, hoping the rest will come as it will. Sorry this is short! And it's sorta a cliffhanger, but not a suspenseful one... I don't leave it hanging in the middle of any action. Anywho, just let me know what you think, I'm really struggling to get this plot out of the quicksand in my mind! I hope you all like! Sorry for the wait!_

**Chapter 15: Definitely Not Ballet!**

Duo stretches, or tries to. He groans as a weight on his legs impedes on his actions. A now very familiar weight.

"Dude, this is seriously getting to be a bad habit!" Duo yelps. Trowa just purrs in response. From the bathroom, Quatre appears, fully dressed and looking alert. Duo glares at the blonde.

"This is your fault!" Duo snarls playfully.

"Me?" Quatre looks innocent. Duo restrains a laugh.

"You're the one who started it! And you don't even have the decency to stay in bed until a sane hour, you hafta get up and make him come lay on _me!_" Duo pouts, and Trowa yawns, then gets off with a flick of his tail. Duo turns his glare on him, though it has lost some of its weight due to the grin slowly growing on his lips.

"And you! If I had wanted a cat, I would have gotten something smaller! At least then I wouldn't have to deal with crushed feet!" He mock-shoves the retreating were. Trowa yawns widely, the expression of boredom showing what he thinks of Duo's opinions on the matter. Duo sits up and throws up his hands.

"I give up! You two are impossible!" Duo groans as they laugh.

It only takes a moment for Duo to be dressed and ready, and the three walk up to the mess hall together. Duo looks down on the big black feline pacing gracefully at his side, scrutinizing his gait for any hint of a limp.

"How're the wounds?" Trowa gives him an eloquent look of exasperation. Duo laughs.

"Well excuse me for being concerned! I was just asking, Mr. I'm-a-Were-I-don't-need-medical-attention!" Duo jokes. Trowa snorts, and Duo suddenly gets the feeling that he's going to do something mischievous. The braided boy pauses in the open door of the mess hall, and chokes, as Trowa suddenly shifts, and rises up. Hands held out from his sides, and without a stitch of clothing, he turns as if for Duo's inspection, displaying the faded bruises that are all that is left from the damage he took during the vampire attack. The bruises he had on arrival have all disappeared. Quatre turns bright red, and many occupants of the hall follow his queue, staring or averting their gaze as they so choose.

"Satisfied?" Trowa asks blandly. Duo shoves him around the doorframe, out of sight of the hall, trying not to laugh the whole time.

"Yes! But you didn't have to flash the whole cell! Do you have any sense of privacy at all!" He is giggling now. Totally deadpan, Trowa looks at him.

"No." Trowa responds blandly. Quatre blushes harder, trying to look everywhere but at the naked youth. Duo laughs harder.

"Well, at least try to be a little more considerate! You're making Quatre blush!" Duo gasps out. Trowa turns slightly and inspects Quatre's bright red face and the nervous flickering glances he throws everywhere but at the werepanther. He smirks.

"So? He's cute when he blushes." And with that said, he warps back into the guise of a large black cat. Quatre burns even brighter, and Duo pauses in his laughter, stunned for a moment, before he breaks out in even bigger guffaws, pointing at the embarrassed Arabian. Quatre scowls at him and whirls, stomping into the hall with every inch of skin aflame.

The Maguanacs, who were finally convinced to calm down three days after the 'incident,' and had stopped trailing him everywhere, leap to their feet.

"Master Quatre! Are you all right?" Duo thinks the one that called is named Auda, but he's not sure.

"Oh yes, I'm fine! Don't worry about it." Quatre tries to smile reassuringly, still red. Trowa and Duo trail in, Duo red-faced as well, as still chuckling.

Quatre sticks his tongue out at Duo on impulse, and that sends the braided boy into hysterics again. A few of the Maguanacs chuckle at the childish behavior, and sit back down, reassured that it is nothing more than the antics of two… well, three teenaged boys. Blush fading, Quatre joins Duo as he settles in at a conspicuously empty table near the door. Trowa, purring innocently, lies down near their feet and watches the hall.

"No breakfast?" Duo asks, slightly teasing. Trowa shakes his head. Probably because of his longstanding poor diet, Trowa still eats sparingly, his stomach unable to accommodate more than one or two meals a day yet, though he has been improving, and Kathy has been vocal in her appreciation of the filling out he has done in the last week.

Quatre pours himself a cup of tea, splashes a little milk into his tea and Duo's coffee, then pours the rest into a cereal bowl and sets it down by Trowa's front paws. The panther purrs, and laps it gently. Duo, grinning like a fool, digs in heartily, and for several minutes they sit in quiet companionship.

Quatre has just finished his meal, nowhere near the pile of food Duo is consuming, when Howard appears and slides into a chair across from them.

"Good morning Howard. Did you sleep well?" Duo intones through a mouthful of sausage.

"You know I don't sleep squirt! This place would fall apart in a minute if I weren't watching it constantly!" Howard mock-glares, chuckling the whole time.

"Yeah, that's why we can usually find you snoozing in your office!" Duo laughs lightly. Quatre smiles, and Howard threatens the braided teen with a brandished fist.

"Why you! Learn to respect your elders!" The leader growls threateningly. Duo flicks a piece of toast crust at him, grinning.

"Yea, yea, whatever, old man!" Duo grouses as Howard smiles, then sobers slightly. But only slightly.

"Listen, Duo… someone was asking for you in the club last night." Howard murmurs seriously. Duo halts a spoonful of cereal halfway to his mouth and looks at Howard.

"Anyone recognize our curious friend?" he asks, but Howard shakes his head.

"Nah! They say no one even got a really good look at him. He was wearing a trench coat and he kept his head covered. Best thing we got is he has really blue eyes, and he's tall." He laughs, "Well, Sarah gave us a bit more, but it had a lot to do with 'sexy legs' and the fact that someone who moves that gracefully has to be a great 'dancer'. I swear, that girl's about as air headed as they come!" Duo nods, and then catches Quatre's curious look.

"Remember the Dance Club you saw through the window when we went out?" Quatre nods.

"It's one the places people contract us, and sometimes contacts show up when they have big information to move. Sarah's one of the dancers." Quatre's eyes widen, remembering with a blush the dancer he had seen. Definitely not ballet!

"So, what's the word, Howie?" the braided teen's attention shifts back to business.

"Apparently, the dude refused to talk to anyone but you. He told the barkeeper that you should meet him at the Rodeo… alone." Howard sighs.

"When?" Duo frowns, but Howard just shrugs.

"Didn't say… so what do ya think, Kid?" he looks over his sunglasses as Duo chews thoughtfully, then swallows.

"Well, he said the Rodeo, and that's one of the most secure safehouses in the whole city… but I don't like this, something is off. I'll go, but I want back-up outside." he says, for once with an empty mouth. Quatre starts to open his mouth and Duo grins at him, shaking his head.

"Nuh-uh, not you or Trowa, you'd both stand out too much. If he has any Sight at all, you'll both shine like targets." Dup admonishes. Trowa rumbles unhappily but bows his head in acceptance.

"Well, may as well get this over with…" Duo slurps the last of his cereal.

"Howie, can you get me two Sweepers? I'd prefer Loaris and Finite, but I think they're on assignment…" the brunette says seriously. Howard nods.

"Yeah, I sent them out yesterday. Trent and Forenz are in though..." Howard taps his chin thoughtfully, giving his protege a questioning look.

"I guess… just make sure they have communicators, the last time I went out with them, they weren't carrying any, and I nearly got decapitated…" Duo stands up and grins at the other two.

"I'll catch you guys later, I gotta go get cleaned up for this meeting. See ya!" and with that he bounces cheerily out of the mess hall.

_Shouri: Well, that's it for now... I hope someone out there is still reading, and if you are, GOMEN NASAI! I'm really trying. The doctors have me on a new medication again, so things might get better in the near future. I hope you liked, even if it seems to be mostly a filler chapter, placed there to get out only one new bit of information... Anywho, review please! I'll try to get out the next bit as fast as possible, wish me luck! Tankiwa! Ja!_


	19. Chapter 16 You Never Can Trust a Faerie

_Shouri: Hey guys, I know it's been forever... and I'm really trying here. The medicine they had me on was not so good... heh, more like BAD, so I had a few setbacks, and I still can't remember the middle part of this plot so I'm hammering away at it slow as glass flowing. But I do remember how it ends, and I am NOT giving up, so if you're still with me... it might be a long wait as I try to finish this. But I will finish it. I'm just sorry it's taking so long. My ability to concentrate for longer than five minutes is nill, so bear with me. Hope I'm not disappointing too much. Here it is guys, sorry it's short, there should be another before too long. _

_Wait for Seventeen if you don't wanna bit of a cliffy! It should be up fairly soon. Enjoy, I hope!_**  
**

**Chapter 16 You Never Can Trust a Faerie...  
**

As the door opens, admitting several moments of bright sunlight that obscures the dim light of the bar interior, the bartender looks up at the shadowy figure standing framed by the morning haze. After a pause to allow his eyes to adjust, Duo steps in like a lion across the savannah, wearing a skintight red shirt and tight black leather pants, his braid swinging out behind his trench coat. His violet eyes sweep the nearly empty club, and settle on a figure hunched at the bar. The man's back is to him, and he is wearing a long coat that hides most of his lanky frame. The only distinguishing feature that Duo can see is the waist length platinum blonde hair, draping out over his back from under a shining silver helmet.

Duo paces across the floor, and eases onto one of the high stools. The bartender steps over.

"The usual?" the heavyset man asks and Duo nods.

"He yours?" the man nods towards the mysterious blonde, as he starts mixing a drink, and Duo grins.

"Could be. You got any news for me, Jake?" Duo blows his bangs back out of his eyes as he speaks, pretending unconcern. The bartender shakes the concoction, and pours it.

"Not much. He showed up last night around one, and hasn't moved since. 'Sbeen drinking like a pro, too." Jake murmurs quietly, before sliding a bright green and faintly glowing drink across the bar. Duo nods again, and turns his head slightly to look at the stranger.

The helmet tilts, and Duo suddenly finds himself looking at a pair of intense blue eyes through the glass eyepieces. Duo shivers as the man seems to waver and then shine. The glow rapidly fades, but just for an instant, he can see two pairs of glimmering wings much like those of dragonflies, drooping from under the edge of his coat. The man gets up.

"Duo Maxwell." The tall, sleek gentlemen intones with a perfect aristocratic inflection. Duo grins, and throws back a gulp of his green concoction.

"I suppose. Who's askin'?" Duo drawls back with a too cheerful grin that makes him look like a hyena on the prowl. The blonde smiles wryly.

"I am called Zechs Merquise." Zechs murmurs, inclining his head slightly before turning his expectant gaze on the bartender. Jake nods amiably, and heads down to the other end of the bar to wipe glasses. Zechs sits down.

"Funny. You wanted to talk?" Duo grins. Zechs' eyes narrow.

"I beg your pardon?" his perfectly crisp diction takes on a tone of warning and mild affront. Duo looks at him.

"Zechs is a funny name. I've never heard of it before. It's kind of short." Duo chirps, swirling his half empty glass. Zechs frowns.

"I do not see how my name should have any bearing. We are here for an exchange." The tall man draws himself up, and Duo watches a second ripple of color cross his big frame, before fading back into the dull almost grays that seem to blanket his graceful form most of the time. Even muted to pale gray tinged pastels, he fairly glows to Duo's monochrome vision. Duo nods evenly, his eyes narrowing.

"That's what I heard. So what are you here for? Last I knew, the Fae weren't dealing with humans anymore." His words are even and measured, and they cause Zechs to stiffen.

"…"

Duo snorts as he takes another gulp.

"What? You didn't really expect to go unnoticed, did you? Please! You've got an aura brighter than a solar flare! And the wings give it dead away, you should practice keeping them hidden a bit better." Duo half-laughs. Zechs just looks at him.

"I was not aware that you had such strong Sight, Duo Maxwell. It may complicate things." Zechs sounds uninterested and annoyed, and Duo narrows his eyes.

"And how's that?" Just a bit of growl behind his street-burr now, Duo sets down his drink. Zechs looks into his glass.

"I was sent here by my Master…" The man intones, but Duo interrupts him, shifting faintly as his nerves scream warnings at him.

"Master? I thought you guys called your leader Lord?" his violet eyes flicker across the rest of the unoccupied bar as he speaks, but return in time to see Zechs stiffen again.

"The Faery Kingdom has been decimated for the past twenty years, and there has not even been a minor Lord for the last five. The being I serve is no Lord." He turns slightly and looks at Duo.

"I am sorry Duo Maxwell. I have no choice in this matter." The man… no, the faerie says, and his tone finally holds an emotion… regret. Duo gawks as a long, elegant hand reaches out and presses the very tips of his fingers against his sternum, caught off guard by the sudden shift.

"Wha?…" the room suddenly spins, colors blurring and flashing as if someone had thrown a switch in Duo's mind, and Zechs flares like a lamp. His bright eyes shine through the holes in his mask, and Duo staggers sideways, tumbling from his stool. Waves of weakness and nausea overwhelm him, and his ears ring, nearly covering the shout of alarm that chases his consciousness into blackness.

_Shouri: So, this is chapter sixteen. Sorry, it's a bit cliffy, but seventeen is just waiting for a spellcheck and a few touchups, and eighteen in in the works, so they shouldn't be too long, but I don't have much beyond 18. Sorry. I'm trying. To those still sticking with me despite my many faults, I thank you kindly. Say a little prayer guys, the past month or so has been looking up. Love ya! Ja!_


	20. Chapter 17 A Kingdom of Ice

_Shouri: Here you go guys, sorry this was ready to go and just sitting there... I got distracted from getting it up because a family member had to go to the hospital. :cries: It didn't turn out so well, and though she's okay, everyone had a rough week. Hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter, Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I think that's the most reviews I've ever gotten in such a short amount of time. Here you go guys, Chapter 17. Enjoy!_**  
**

**Chapter 17: A Kingdom of Ice  
**

"YOU WHAT?!" Two men in Sweeper jackets cringe before the rage of their leader. But Howard isn't what is causing their terror, for snarling by his side is a furious black panther.

"You incompetents let some crew just drive up and take Duo?! Without a fight!?!" Howard is aghast; in fact he looks as if he may begin tearing his hair out at any minute.

"BLOODY HELL!"

* * *

"…Duo Maxwell." Duo groans as his aching head threatens to split in two. He opens his bleary eyes and blinks stupidly at the cold stone floor just inches from his nose. His back and shoulders are screaming, but his arms are numb. He tries to move, and finds that he is hanging slumped forward from his shackled wrists. He shivers, chilled by the air and freezing cold floor. 

His coat is gone, and so are his weapons. He shifts, and raises his gaze from where his braid is coiled near his knees. The spot on his sternum where Zechs pressed is aching like it has been branded with ice.

The room is huge and imposing. The walls and ceiling are made of the same dingy gray stone as the floor, and suits of armor line the frost-laden walls. The air seems to shimmer with icy hatred, so chilled that it looks like heat distortion, but the phenomenon ends about three feet away at a runic circle which is centered on the post to which he's chained. Beyond that circle the stone floor is slick with ice, and some stones even seem cracked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees two glaring figures dart out a side door; both auras mark them as vampires.

"Duo Maxwell." Duo raises his head further, and sits up, despite the screaming of his arms and back. About thirty feet away is a raised dais, where a huge thrown made of white marble sits. More runes adorn the base of the dais, and again the floor within their bounds is free from the ice which coats the walls and hangs in glittering stalactites from the towering rafters above.

Seated regally upon that throne, is a tall, elegant man with honey red curls and broad shoulders. The colors fairly glow in his vision, starkly outlined by this grim, gray room. He is dressed impeccably in tight breeches and a silk shirt, and seated upon a beautiful white tiger skin. Duo blinks as his eyes meet the chilled cornflower gaze of the man, and he grins in response to the amused smirk.

"I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Duo Maxwell. I am Treize Kushrenada." Those quirked lips move, and once more that aristocratic voice rings through the air. Duo narrows his eyes as they flicker around the room, taking in all other details, watching the swirls of faint color in the frosty air which betray the ice-magic to his special sight.

As Treize speaks, those swirls darken and lash, the lights closest to the dais pressing against the invisible barrier. The rest of Treize's throne and dais are blanketed with luxurious and rare furs, and other than a few more lengths of chain, there is nothing in the room.

"Well…" He coughs slightly, and clears his throat to get rid of his slight slur. "Well, I wish I could say the same, but being knocked out and trussed up tends to make me a little cranky."

Treize chuckles mirthlessly. There is a sudden grating sound, and Duo's eyes flicker towards it. One of the chains looping near the base of the throne moves, dragging across the floor. Treize snaps his fingers near one knee and the chain ceases its motion, but his eyes remain on Duo.

"Very true. I must apologize. However, it was imperative that I speak with you. You see, it has come to my attention that you have a rather extraordinary gift. I would like to enlist you for my personal guard." Treize murmurs softly, though his eyes are sharp and warning. Duo tries to keep his eyes on Treize, but the something that had moved before has started shifting in the shadows behind Treize's throne. Treize snaps his fingers again, and the thing stills. Treize frowns and murmurs something curtly in another language, one that Duo cannot understand, but that is Oriental. One that sounds like what he has heard Sally speak before. The shadow promptly moves again, and as it emerges, his eyes rivet on it. He blinks in shock, and his mouth drops open.

Treize smiles, and his hand drops possessively onto the head that comes to rest obediently against his knee, fingers toying with the strands of super fine black hair. Attached to the end of the coiled chain is a silver collar, encircling the neck of a young boy. Despite the chill of the air, the Asian boy is clad in a very skimpy blue tank top and white silk pants with slits running along the outside from waist to ankle band, and he is barefoot. He drapes himself against Treize's leg like some kind of devoted pet, and Treize strokes his fingers across his neck and hair like he is a pampered housecat or a faithful dog.

"I am sure we can come to terms, Mr. Maxwell. I am a very generous man, when treated respectfully." His fingers stroke along the Chinese boy's throat then twines through his hair. Duo feels himself becoming nauseas.

"I do so adore long hair." Treize purrs seductively, his shining cornflower-blue eyes pinning on Duo's coiled braid with a suggestive leer. Duo jerks his head so that the heavy plait is tossed over his shoulder, out of sight.

"I already have a job." Duo states dully, taking in the black eyes of a child barely his age. They are dull and without the faint spark which shines in the eyes of every living person he has ever met. Dead eyes…

"Well, I fail to see the problem." Treize purrs, fingers running suggestively over ice pale lips, though it illicits no response from his 'pet'. Duo scowls.

"Your employment doesn't happen to require a collar and chains as a uniform, now does it?" He snaps, jerking his numbed arms to make his point. Treize smiles.

"Only for the humans. I wouldn't want one of my less… naïve species of lackey to make a snack of them without permission, now would I?" Treize smiles as he trails his fingers down the boy's collarbone. Duo shudders as he takes in the silvery scars that adorn the narrow neck, perfect imprints of at least three different kinds of teeth.

"Looks like a collar don't keep your neck teeth-free all that well." Duo fairly hisses, eyes wild and darkening ferally.

"Would I deny my inferiors anything? I'm told the bites become quite… addictive, after a while. Quite pleasurable. The collar merely reminds all involved that I do not take kindly to damage of my property." Treize smirks.

"I can see the runes on that collar from here. Bet a reminder isn't all those damn things are." Duo barks. Treize chuckles as he shifts his knees to one side so that he may better lounge against the throne's arm.

"Ah, you truly are a bright little one. Yes, some of the collars do have spells on them. But nothing that isn't fully disclosed before I hand them to the human they will be worn by. And I have never had a human refuse to close the collar around their throat of their own free will." Treize smirks.

"Nah, I think I'll pass." Duo growls, violet eyes narrowed at the implications of that.

"You don't have much choice in the matter." Treize smiles cockily.

"You'd be surprised." Duo grins. Treize rises suddenly and paces forward. He leans down in Duo's face, and the braided teen can see the maliciousness under the genteel glaze in his eyes.

"So would you, Mr. Maxwell. So would you. I believe you need a bit of time to consider my generous offer. After all, the final days approach quickly… you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side when all of Hell breaks loose, now would you?" He straightens and places one hand on his hip. "I will see you in a few hours, Mr. Maxwell."

And with that, he turns and strides out of sight behind Duo. There is a grating sound, and the already dim hall goes almost dark. Duo shivers. The temperature seemed to drops a few degrees instantly, though the circle still glows faintly around him, for without it he's sure he'd be dead in minutes, the air frozen in his lungs. Still, the cold seems to sap the strength right out of his body.

After a moment of struggling, he manages to twist his arms around until they are in front of him, but the effort leaves him panting out clouds of mist on the floor, without even the strength to work his hands to the lock picks in his braid. Exhausted, he closes his eyes and drifts into a state of half doze, shivering.

Suddenly, something warm touches his chilled flesh and he jerks, arms still tingling painfully from returning blood flow. His eyes open, and he blinks. Floating over his head is a tiny, sourceless nimbus of light, and it is illuminating an elfin face with dark slanted eyes, and fine-boned cheeks. Duo jerks away, shocked to see the disinterested 'pet' up close. The other boy says something softly in Mandarin.

"Sorry, I don't understand Chinese, buddy." Duo blinks again. The boy frowns slightly, then nods, and says something different. He holds up his hands in the classic 'I'm not armed' position and repeats himself slowly.

"I think I got that. You ain't gonna hurt me. So kill me if I don't believe you." Duo shivers, frowning. The boy scowls and says something else, then reaches towards Duo again. He jerks away, and then coughs a lung wracking spasm. The boy snaps at him irritably. Duo looks disgusted.

"Look, just get the hell away from me! I don't need help from a traitor!" The boy pulls back his head, almost as if he understood that. His expression looks stung for a moment, and then his features go blank. The light dances around his head. He looks up and jabbers lyrically at it. Duo shivers harder, and coughs again. Exhaustion weighs heavily on him, and his eyes struggle to stay open as the slanted, dark eyes turn towards him once more.

He blanks out for a second, because the next thing he knows, a thick fur is covering him, and the boy is pressed up against his side, burning hot against his bare shoulder and radiating heat like a furnace. He makes a soft sound of protest and tries to move, but the Chinese boy murmurs something, and gently throws an arm over his chest, effectively holding him down. Duo stops struggling, and as he warms up a bit, his exhaustion drags him down into sleep.

"I wonder what you're doin' here anyway… you doan have much of an aura…" He murmurs as Morpheas takes him, barely even noticing as he is shifted partially on top of the fur so that his thinly clad body is no longer in contact with the floor.

_Shouri: Heyla guys! Did you like it?! I hope so. I'm still trying to remember what's supposed to happen after chapter 18... Darned if I can find the timeline notes, and since the idea for this story was thought up and written down while I was in sixth grade, I'm only mildly surprised I can't remember. It's in one of my notebooks. I just can't figure out which one:Looks under her bed where there are at least two hundred notebooks, pads, and packets of stapled papers in various sizes: Anywho, I'm still looking. If I can't find it by the time I get the chance to finish editing Chapter 18, I'll start working out a new timeline. I still remember the conflict and a few scenes I had worked out, and I remember the ending, so all I have to do is rework out the middle. Sorry about the delays guys, thanks so much for sticking with me. Kudos to the reviewers! You guys are great! Ja ne!_


End file.
